Elite 5.0 Doubles Action Kicks Off WPC Asia Pickleball Open in Bangkok

The WPC Asia Pickleball Open got underway at The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi in Bangkok on March 11, with elite 5.0 doubles competition filling the opening day's schedule across the 35+ and 60+ age brackets. The six-day tournament, running through March 16, 2026, marks one of the region's most closely watched events on the current WPC circuit.

World Pickleball Magazine's day-one account described the early action as contested and high-level, with both the 35+ and 60+ draws producing competitive doubles matches from the opening rounds. Match-by-match results, individual player names, and bracket standings from day one were not available at press time, but the quality of play across both age groups signaled that the remaining five days would test the region's deepest doubles talent.

The Bangkok event arrives at a moment of genuine momentum for competitive pickleball across Southeast and East Asia. The WPC Asia Pickleball Grand Slam held in Malaysia last July, a Tier 4 event staged at The Pickle Ground in Bandar Utama from July 16 to 20, 2025, drew top athletes from across the continent and offered a cash prize pool of up to RM100,000 across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. That event set a visible benchmark for what WPC-series tournaments in the region can deliver.

The calendar tightens further in the weeks immediately surrounding Bangkok. The ACE Pickleball Tournament 4.0 is scheduled for March 29 at The Pickle Vibe in Seri Kembangan, bringing together competitive players across multiple DUPR rating divisions. Less than a week later, the WOWX Pickleball Fiesta 2026 opens in Johor Bahru from April 3 to 5 at Play! At Dewani, featuring both the PRISM Pickleball Tournament and the Johor Closed Pickleball tournament under one event umbrella.

With play at The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi now two days in, the 35+ and 60+ elite 5.0 draws will continue to narrow toward medal rounds. Organizers and regional media are expected to release full bracket results and match statistics as the week progresses. Given the volume of competitive events clustered in this stretch of the calendar, how players perform in Bangkok will carry weight well beyond the tournament itself.