PCL Rising Stars U19 Sectional Tournament Kicks Off in Cebu

Pickle Fest 2026 brought close to 200 players to the Net & Paddle Pickleball Club on Tupas St. in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City when the PCL Rising Stars U19 Sectional Tournament opened Wednesday, March 11, making it the second leg of the PCL Asia series and a direct qualifying event for the PCL Asia Grand Finals in Hainan, China this April.

The stakes are concrete: whichever U19 team wins the Cebu sectional earns a berth to the Rising Stars Finals at the Asia Elite Pickleball Academy on Hainan Island, with PCL Asia covering airfare, local transport, and room and board for the qualifying squad. Each qualifying team also receives an in-kind development grant of approximately $1,000 in paddles, balls, and apparel, plus dedicated mentorship days with a pro coach before the grand finals begin.

Tournament director Cesar Guinto put the scope of the Cebu event in plain terms. "This is one of the biggest pickleball tournaments to be held here in Cebu. We're very excited to see everyone compete in the next few days. We are expecting over a hundred participants in the different age groups, while around five to eight teams will compete in the U19 competition," he said. Guinto also framed the tournament inside a longer ambition: "This is a new sport and we hope to grow it further. Hopefully, it will be part of the 2032 Olympics."

Representing Cebu in the U19 bracket is a Philippine junior side coached by Elvin Tabura, son of the late Cebuano tennis personality Fritz Tabura. His roster: Gio John Manito, JP Rabaya, Aaron Kevin Tabura, and Aaron Galo. The four compete under the mixed team format the PCL mandates for the Rising Stars division, which requires two male and two female players per side. Beyond the U19 centerpiece, adult divisions spanning novice through open class are running across men's, women's, and mixed doubles, with age-group brackets at 20-and-above, 35-and-above, and 50-and-above.

The benchmark for what a winning Cebu performance needs to look like arrived from the previous leg in Davao City, where Team Velaris, composed of Shesha Bree Biñas, Chrystelle Marjh Elisan, Izzy Lacida, and Jacob Cagas, captured gold and locked in their Hainan slot. Sunrise Events Inc. president and managing director Princess Galura pointed directly to that result as proof of concept: "The successful staging in Davao showed the level of organization and talent we now have, and with PCL Asia supporting the sectional pathway, our young players are no longer just competing locally — they are preparing to shine on the regional stage."

The event was formally launched at a press conference on March 10 at the Net and Paddle courts, led by Richard Bachmann, who holds the dual distinction of former Philippine Sports Commission chairman and KAVC operations director. Bachmann used the occasion to underscore both the sport's trajectory and the coalition driving it. "Pickleball's growth over the last decade has been nothing short of phenomenal. From a single introductory clinic in Cebu to more than 320 clubs nationwide, the sport has truly captured the imagination of Filipino athletes," he said, adding that sustaining that growth requires more than government support: "It cannot be done by the government alone; everyone must work together. Now the private sector is helping the NSA, and the PSC is also supportive."

Also present at the press conference were Steve Kuhn, chairman of the Pickleball Champions League and founder of the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system, and referee head Gigi Macera. The event is jointly organized by Kosmas Athletic Ventures Corporation and Sunrise Events Inc., with PCL Asia backing the Rising Stars pathway that now runs through Cebu on its way to Hainan.