Singapore’s Charles Yong wins 2026 PickleSlam to earn spot at PPA Asia 500 event

SINGAPORE – By day, Charles Yong serves in the police force. By night, the Singaporean works on his serves as he aims to become a force to be reckoned with on the pickleball court.

On April 12, the 19-year-old notched a personal milestone at Jurong Play Grounds, where he won the PickleSlam pro men’s singles category after coming from behind to beat Malaysia’s Timothy Foo 15-13 for the biggest title of his career.

In the process, he also earned a spot in the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Asia 500 Singapore Open at the Sports Arina @ Expo from July 23 to 26. The US$70,000 (S$89,000) event is the first PPA Tour Asia tournament to be held in the Republic.

Yong, who got hooked on the sport only about three years ago after joining his dad for a session, attributed some self-talk for helping him seal a gritty win after trailing 9-5 and 13-10 in the first-to-15 final.

“The match was very intense, and I knew that going into this match I had to play my best, because he’s a rising star from Malaysia,” said the full-time national serviceman, who has also won several local titles.

“He is also a very intense guy and aggressive… So I just calmed myself down and focused on the next point.

“I feel like self-talk really helps me, because it allows me to believe that I can win. It’s not just about swinging and hitting the ball.”

Yong had started brightly, surging to a 5-2 lead, but was unable to cope with aggressive play from Foo, who rattled off seven straight points to lead 9-5.

Talking to himself as he tried to calm his nerves, Yong then managed to level the score at 10-10.

Foo, who was shouting and all riled up, pulled away again to lead 13-10 and looked set to beat the Singaporean on his home ground.

But Yong had the last laugh as he chalked up five points in a row to clinch the title and US$650 in prize money in the third edition of the PickleSlam, which became a PPA-sanctioned event for the first time.

It is part of the PPA Asia 125 series that runs alongside the PPA Tour Asia and acts as a pathway for emerging talent to compete at an elite level.

Foo, who has a one-year professional contract under the United Pickleball Association Rising Stars programme, credited Yong for keeping calm when it mattered.

The 20-year-old said: “Charles played really, really well.

“I was not able to keep my (focus) level and Charles managed to use that very well to get back up in the score and to eventually close the match… He was a better player today.

“This is Charles’ home ground and... I think he has a bit more pressure but kudos to him.”

The third-place play-off, which was also a “Causeway Derby”, saw Malaysia’s Shahmirzzy Kelvin beat Singapore’s Russell Arcilla Jr 15-8 to take home the bronze.

In the pro women’s singles final, Vietnam’s Sophia Tran survived a scare to beat Chinese Taipei’s Lai Pei-yu 15-13.

Tran, 18, was especially proud of her win after fulfilling one of her dreams.

She said: “I was a former tennis player, and I stopped around junior level because of a bad injury.

“One of the dreams that I always wanted but couldn’t achieve, was to play against a (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division One tennis player or to become one.

“And I thought that I would never be able to complete the dream. But in the final, I was able to play against Pei-yu, who is a former Division One tennis player.”

The teenager flew out of the blocks in the final and dominated proceedings with a 7-0 lead.

But Lai, 26, kept composed and slowly caught up with her before taking the lead at 12-11.

A series of unforced errors, which included Lai serving into the net, turned the tide for Tran as she closed out the match 15-13.

Lai admitted that she lost too many points at the start, but was happy to have pulled some points back.

She added: “Her backhand returns are very good and I couldn’t cope, the turning point was when I made a mistake and served into the net.”

In the women’s third-place play-off, Japan’s Seina Shima beat Singaporean Chin Ee Lin 15-5.