17-year-old athlete Phuong Anh was selected to train professionally in pickleball in the US.

It is known that the UPA Asia Trailblazers training program is a professional pickleball training program jointly implemented by the World Professional Pickleball System (PPA) and the Asian Pickleball Federation (MLP Asia).

Sophia Phuong Anh (full name Tran Phuong Anh) is a promising 17-year-old pickleball player from Vietnam who has been officially selected to join the prestigious UPA Asia Trailblazers Program. Phuong Anh is honored to be one of two female athletes from Vietnam (the other athlete is Nguyen Thi Truc Tam) selected to participate in this world-class program.

Athlete Phuong Anh is one of two female pickleball athletes from Vietnam selected by UPA Asia Trailblazers to train in the US for 3 months (Photo: NVCC).

UPA Asia Trailblazers is the first professional training program organized by PPA and MLP Asia, to discover and nurture pickleball talent in Asia. The program provides an opportunity for intensive training in the United States for three months with all expenses covered, helping Asian players develop a professional career in the international pickleball community.

12 excellent Asian athletes were carefully selected to attend a special training and coaching program for 3 months in the US, in which Phuong Anh is the youngest athlete among the 12 athletes selected to receive intensive training and compete in 4 PPA tournaments.

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be contracted to compete in UPA Asia 2025-2026, participating in a series of 8 professional PPA & MLP Asia tournaments across Asia.

The UPA Asia Trailblazers program was launched with the mission of enhancing the competitiveness and recognition of Asian talent in the international pickleball scene, while promoting the sport as a professional sport in the region. This is a golden opportunity for young talents like Sophia Phuong Anh to hone their skills and develop a professional career.

A look at some of Sophia Phuong Anh's impressive achievements

Although only 17 years old, Sophia Phuong Anh has achieved many remarkable achievements in the international arena:

World Pickleball Championship Hong Kong (WPC):

* Women's Singles Champion 4.5

* Women's Doubles Champion 4.5

Asia Pickleball Business Alliance 2024 China Open:

* Open Women's Doubles Champion

* Second place team

* 3rd place Women's Singles Open

* 4th place mixed doubles

PPA TOUR Australia:

* Open Women's Singles Champion

* U16 Women's Singles Champion

* Third place Open women's doubles

* Third place Open mixed doubles

World Pickleball Championship Series Bali, Indonesia:

* Mixed Doubles Champion 19+ 9.0

* Women's Singles Champion 19+ 4.5

* U18 9.0 Mixed Doubles Champion

* U18 4.5 Women's Singles Champion

These impressive achievements helped Sophia stand out during the selection process and prove her great potential in the international pickleball scene.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/vdv-17-tuoi-phuong-anh-duoc-chon-dao-tao-pickleball-chuyen-nghiep-o-my-20250331232354275.htm