SINGAPORE, Aug. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Two straight weeks of pure pickleball action is on the horizon, with PPA Tour Asia bringing back-to-back Cups to the region. Malaysia and Vietnam are set to host the biggest names and most hardcore fans, as pickleball continues to take over the continent's courts.
The action starts with the Malaysia Cup (September 24-28, 2025) at 9Pickle Setia Alam and Setia City Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, before moving straight into the Vietnam Cup (September 30 - October 4, 2025) at Tien Son Sports Arena and Tuyen Son Sports Complex in Da Nang. With US$150,000 pro prize pool at each stop and world-class venues waiting, the events have already locked in some serious star power.
Headlining the action will be Ben Johns. With over 150 PPA Tour titles made in the USA, Johns is now bringing the GOAT experience right to Asia's door.
Joining the hunt for gold is No.1 Men's Singles superstar Federico Staksrud. The Argentinian powerhouse will be jetting across the Pacific to compete in the heart of Asian pickleball. Royalty will be taking the spotlight with doubles queen Anna Bright bringing the heat to Malaysia.
The blockbuster lineup continues with Tyson McGuffin, Tyra Hurricane Black, Christian Alshon, Zane Navratil, Zoey Chao Yi Wang, Kaitlyn Christian, Alix Truong and even more fan favorites and local heroes ready to post up with their paddles.
"We are excited to bring our inaugural PPA Tour Asia Cups to Malaysia and Vietnam in collaboration with our hosts Bold D Court and Manage, and Americas & Asia Connect Company respectively. Attracting the globe's best pickleball athletes to the region, fans will be able to watch players from the region challenge the best of the best as the sport continues to rapidly grow across Asia," said Kimberly Koh, UPA Asia Managing Director.
Amateur action will be a key part of both tournaments. Players of all ages and divisions will compete alongside the pros, with gold medals and bragging rights up for grabs across both weeks.
Get ready for a journey through the heart of Asian pickleball. Stay tuned for more updates on ticketing, player registration and fan experiences.
About PPA Tour Asia:
PPA Tour Asia features a three-tier tournament structure - Slam, Cup and Open events - ensuring all regions and levels of competition experience the premier pickleball tour. Points earned at these events count towards the PPA Tour Asia Rankings, as players chase the prestigious No.1 crown - the ultimate recognition for dominance in Asian professional pickleball.
About UPA Asia:
UPA Asia, operating the PPA Tour Asia, is the premier professional and amateur pickleball tour in Asia, dedicated to expanding the sport's highest level across the region. We focus on developing professional athletes through world-class events, elite training programs, and professional pathways while engaging new fans and growing participation. By forging strategic partnerships and delivering exceptional tournament experiences, we're positioning pickleball as a leading sport in Asia.
PPA Tour Asia: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn |
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
PPA Tour Asia is bringing Back-to-Back Cups to Malaysia and Vietnam
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
