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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider PH sweeps Vietnam to capture first-ever Pickleball Champions League title

PH sweeps Vietnam to capture first-ever Pickleball Champions League title

Published Aug 13, 2025 01:42 pm

At A Glance

  • The Philippine pickleball team flexed its might and manhandled Vietnam, 3-0, to become the first-ever champion of the Pickleball Champions League (PCL) Season 1 at the Ramsport Stadium in Shenzhen, China over the weekend.
The Philippine pickleball team flexed its might and manhandled Vietnam, 3-0, to become the first-ever champion of the Pickleball Champions League (PCL) Season 1 at the Ramsport Stadium in Shenzhen, China over the weekend.
Grouped with some of the toughest Asian squads, the Nationals’ best quartet in Ken De La Cruz, Nik Isagan, Fatima Amirul, and Medeline Saraza displayed their poise and topped their rivals in the finals of all three categories.
Their historic title win was highlighted by De La Cruz and Isagan’s miraculous rally in the men’s doubles finals where the duo turned a 16-20 deficit into a 23-21 lead that eventually led them to the win.
That improbable comeback in Game 1 fueled the PH side as eventual Most Valuable Player winners Amirul and Saraza went off to a fiery display and torched their foes in the women’s finale, 21-14, to give the Nationals a comfortable 2-0 series lead.
Isagan and Amirul landed the knockout blow in the mixed doubles event where they hammered out a 21-16 win to seal the team’s dominance.
Under the tutelage of coach Kim Saraza and support of team manager Tina Mariano, the PH crew concluded its stint as unscathed after posting six wins against one draw.
Their win-loss record catapulted them straight to the best-of-five semifinal where the Nationals cruised past Hong Kong, 3-0.
Hong Kong and Guangzhou shared the bronze in the eight-team competition that was also joined by Singapore, Malaysia, Beijing, and host Shenzhen.
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