The Hangzhou Open 2025 in China is just days away, and anticipation for the PPA Tour Asia’s last event this season is building up massively. The battle for supremacy is obviously the one major storyline of this tournament, but there are plenty of subplots that are sure to make this year-ender event a compelling one. We have five of them below:
1. Federico Staksrud’s Asian Invasion
Federico Staksrud is the world no. 1 in Men’s Singles, and he’s coming off a championship run in the 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships in Dallas. He’ll be coming to China with plenty of momentum, with possibly a shot at a Triple Crown as he will be headlining Men’s Singles, teaming up with Alix Truong in Mixed Doubles, and partnering Armaan Bhatia in Men’s Doubles.
2. Connor Garnett Returns
Speaking of Triple Crown, the PPA Tour Asia’s first trifecta winner, Connor Garnett, will be back in action. The tour’s maiden Triple Crown winner went undefeated at the Sansan Fukuoka Open, and he might have a shot at doing it again in Hangzhou as he will be competing in Men’s Singles, pairing up with UPA Asia Trailblazer Ting Chieh Wei in Mixed Doubles, and partnering Blaine Hovenier in Men’s Doubles.
3. Yufei Long’s Home
Yufei Long sits atop the PPA Asia Women’s Singles rankings and is considered as one of Asia’s best—period. In the Hangzhou Open 2025, Long will have the hometown crowd behind her as she shoots for PPA Tour Asia supremacy. Long will be competing in Women’s Singles, in Mixed Doubles with Blaine Hovenier, and in Women’s Doubles with Sahra Dennehy. With Long in top form, there’s a real chance we see two Triple Crown winners in China.
4. Golden Team-Up in Women’s Doubles
Long winning a Triple Crown, though, would face serious challenges, particularly in Women’s Doubles, where Chao Yi Wang and Alix Truong are teaming up. This partnership should terrify everyone else in the draw as both of the women are champions, with Truong taking the title at the MB Vietnam Open and Wang winning gold in the Vietnam and Malaysia Cups. Two players who’ve already tasted gold in Asia are now on the same side of the net. Heavy favourites doesn’t even cover it.
5. Loaded Men’s Singles Draw
Two of the world’s best—Staksrud and Garnett—headlining the Men’s Singles field, but the talent level after these two is ridiculous. Phuc Huynh, Jack Wong Hong-kit, Blaine Hovenier, Thomas Yu, Hoang Nam Ly, Hien Truong, and Giang Trinh are all in as well, which makes the road to gold a bumpy one, to say the least. Expect the later rounds to be appointment viewing as well with all that world-class talent.
