WPC Masters Hainan Opens 2026 Season with Global Winners
What's the Score?
The World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Series launched its 2026 season with the WPC Masters in Hainan, China, on January 5. The tournament brought together a diverse field of international talent, crowning winners across multiple age and skill divisions. From the energetic 19+ brackets to the highly competitive 50+ masters divisions, the event showcased the depth of talent currently residing in the Asian and Oceanic regions.
Hit it deeper!
The results from Day 1 of the competition highlighted intense battles in both Men's and Women's Doubles. In the premier Men's Doubles (MD) 19+ 5.0+ category, the team of Hong Kit Wong and Louis Laville took gold, solidifying their status as top-tier competitors. They were followed by Xiang Cai and Yaxuan Miao in silver, with Minh Le and Wang Guangmao securing bronze.
The "Masters" designation lived up to its name in the senior brackets, which featured some of the day's most technical play. In the MD 50+ 5.0 division, I Gusti Ngurah Alit Putra Hariwibawa and Minh Le bested the field to take first place, edging out the runner-up duo of Daryl Wyatt and Martin Clark. On the women's side, the WD 50+ 5.0 title went to Lin Mei Chuan and Pini Lee, who defeated Haj Wilcox and Ingrid Lau.
However, Wilcox and Lau did not leave empty-handed. Proving their versatility, they dominated the WD 35+ 4.5 category to claim the championship title. The 35+ division also saw Chen Wei and Yu Tian capture the MD 3.5 gold, while Kin Long Chan and Tran Khanh Binh triumphed in the MD 4.5 bracket.
The younger demographics also displayed rising stars. Apinya Poonsamer and Simona Castelnuovo won the WD 19+ 3.5 division, while the high-level WD 19+ 5.0 bracket was conquered by Karina Aditya Dwipayani and Kwan Wun Man, who fought off a challenge from Caroline Nothnagel and Karolina Owczarek.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The WPC Masters in Hainan serves as a barometer for the sport's health in Asia. The diversity of the names on the podium—representing various national backgrounds—suggests that the Asian pickleball circuit is becoming a true melting pot of international talent. Furthermore, the crossover success of players like Minh Le (medaling in both 19+ and 50+ events) and the Wilcox/Lau duo (medaling in 50+ and 35+) indicates that "Masters" age players remain highly competitive against younger fields. The WPC Series is successfully creating a prestige ecosystem that rivals Western tours, proving that high-level pickleball is no longer the exclusive domain of North America.