PPA Tour launches unified World Pickleball Rankings, affecting Vietnam event

From the 2026‑27 season the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) will consolidate all its global tournaments into a single World Pickleball Rankings system. The new ranking combines results from men's and women's doubles, mixed doubles and singles, weighting doubles at 50%, mixed at 35% and singles at 15% based on the 14 best results in the past 52 weeks. The rankings will determine qualification for major events, exemption from early rounds and eligibility for professional contracts with the United Pickleball Association.

In Vietnam, the upcoming PPA tournament in Ho Chi Minh City will feature only one of the country's top‑20 singles players, Trương Vinh Hiển, because the other two, Lý Hoàng Nam (ranked 17) and Phúc Huỳnh (ranked 20), have not signed the required PPA contracts. Without a contract, top‑20 athletes are reportedly barred from direct entry into the main singles draw and must start in qualifying rounds. Both players have expressed concerns about the fairness of the rule, with Phúc Huỳnh publicly refusing to sign, while Lý Hoàng Nam continues to compete only in doubles events.