Pickleball player Ryan Ng 21 aims to make the most of Trailblazers programme in US

SINGAPORE – Ryan Ng never thought that he would have a chance to turn professional in any sport, despite having played tennis since he was six.

But the Singaporean, who switched to pickleball during the Covid-19 pandemic three years ago, now has the opportunity to make his wish come true after he was selected in the inaugural batch for the United Pickleball Association (UPA) Asia Trailblazers Programme.

The 21-year-old, who will complete his national service on May 3, is set to join up two days later with 11 other Asian players from China, Taiwan, Macau, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan for a three-month all-expenses-paid stint in Arizona.

The group, chosen from over 100 applicants from 13 territories, will be exposed to intensive training, mentorship from professionals and coaches and compete in PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) Tour and MLP (Major League Pickleball) events as part of the move to position pickleball as a leading sport across the region.

At the end of the programme, successful players will be awarded two-year UPA Asia professional contracts and get to play at the PPA and MLP Asia stops, with the first in early July.

Both PPA and MLP come under the parent company UPA after they merged in 2024.

Aiming to “embrace the pressure, improve and stay hungry”, Ng said: “I never really thought about going pro in pickleball, but it is definitely a dream come true.

“And I’m excited to play pickleball at that high level. It definitely also means committing to the sport in every way and hopefully, it’s just the start of something bigger.”

While his selection came as a surprise as he was “just trying my luck” when he applied for the programme, he was grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s a great honour to be the only Singaporean selected