The PPA Tour Asia has announced Facolos Pickleball as its official racket partner,bringing the Vietnam-based paddle manufacturer into the fold as the regional tourcontinues to build its commercial ecosystem ahead of a landmark 2026 season.
The partnership gained additional visibility when world No. 2 doubles player GabeTardio signed with Facolos, signalling the brand's ambitions to compete at the highestlevels of professional pickleball. Tardio has indicated that the PPA Tour Asia circuit willbe a key focus of his 2026 campaign.
The Facolos deal is part of a broader wave of paddle sponsorship activity acrossprofessional pickleball. In a separate high-profile move, Anna Leigh Waters switched herpaddle affiliation from Paddletek to Franklin, one of several major brand shifts shapingthe competitive landscape this season.
The PPA Tour Asia has confirmed a full ten-stop calendar for 2026 spanning sevenmarkets, culminating in the Hong Kong Slam — billed as the largest professionalpickleball tournament ever staged in Asia, with a prize pool of up to US$1.1 million. Theseason opens with stops in Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, and Macao.
The growing roster of brand partnerships reflects the tour's strategy of embedding Asianand global equipment manufacturers into the professional circuit, creating commercialinfrastructure that can sustain the sport's rapid regional expansion.
