The Philippines’ road to Shenzhen started at PCL Philippines inside SM Mall of Asia, where Team Pickleyard SOMO surged to the national title and earned an all-expenses-paid berth to the PCL Asia Season 2 Grand Finals. A late twist added a second Filipino representative—Team SO Chill—turning the country’s campaign into a two-team charge.
PickleYard PH: A Statement Run to Third
PickleYard PH traveled to Shenzhen with Juan Paulo Fermin, Jun (Ian) Malacaman, Honey Mae Gilles, and Patricia Raymundo, with Coach Carlo “Snakebite” Lagrana on the bench. Fermin, Malacaman, and Gilles are regularly identified as Cagayan de Oro stalwarts who suited up for PickleYard PH at the Finals, while Raymundo entered 2025 as one of the Philippines’ most-talked-about women’s players after winning World Pickleball Championship (Bali) women’s doubles gold alongside Bambi Zoleta. PickleYard’s domestic title at PCL Philippines (SM Mall of Asia) secured the club’s all-expenses-paid berth, and this quartet represented the side in Shenzhen.
The team hit China in rhythm and never really let go. Over Days 1–2, they blitzed the round-robins with a string of 4–0 results, the lone pause a 2–2 draw against Japan’s Team Mahi Kohi—a high-level duel that felt unfinished and begged for a sequel. Their single-elimination opener was a clinical 3–0, and the quarterfinal win showcased the squad’s balance across pairings. Team Zhuhai finally halted the run in the semifinals, but PickleYard regrouped and out-maneuvered Bali Pickleball Club in the playoff to seal third place and eleven-thousand dollars ($11,000)—a podium that matched their week-long consistency.
SO Chill: Highlights Everywhere, Heartbreak in a Dreambreaker
SO Chill lined up Julius “Jules” Quezada, Moses David Dazo, Christy “Joy” Sañosa, and Anna Clarice Patrimonio, guided by Head Coach Rob Navarrete. Patrimonio is a long-time Philippine national-team tennis standout now competing in pickleball with recent international podium headlines. Sañosa competes under the Javaj/JOOLA banner and is a familiar winner on the domestic circuit, while Quezada and Dazo are regulars in Metro Manila tournament draws and club league play.
Team SO Chill brought its own surge. Day 1 produced a reel of clean 4–0 wins, with just one match landing 3–1; Day 2 kept the same drumbeat—confident service games, sturdy returns, and poise in the kitchen. That momentum carried them into the Round of 16, where Bali Pickleball Club turned the tie into a Dreambreaker, the rotating singles tiebreak that tests nerve as much as shape. The margin was a heartbeat: Bali edged it 3–2, trimming SO Chill’s campaign by a single rotation.
What It Says About Philippine Pickleball
Two Filipino teams earned their way onto one of Asia’s biggest club stage—and both looked the part. PickleYard’s bronze validates roster depth and late-round composure; SO Chill’s Dreambreaker exit shows a ceiling high enough to trouble any contender in Asia. The domestic engine—anchored by events like PCL Philippines at SM MOA and a growing club scene that emphasizes match reps—clearly travels.
Looking ahead to Season 3, the storylines are already stacked. A PickleYard–Mahi Kohi rematch would light up any draw after that group-stage stalemate. Another meeting with Bali—for either Filipino team—feels inevitable and delicious. Most of all, the blueprint is in place: keep stacking pressure minutes, keep sharpening pair chemistry, and the Philippines will remain a top-four threat with real title ambitions when the next PCL Asia Grand Finals roll around.
