Historic First! Professional Pickleball Player Yuta Funemizu Becomes First Japanese to Win a US Pro Tour Tournament!

Left: Tama Shimabukuro Right: Yuta Funemizu (©Lauren Yoon) Yuta Funemizu, a professional pickleball player competing in the US professional pickleball tour 'PPA Tour', achieved a historic first victory for a Japanese player in a PPA Tour tournament. This triumph occurred in the men's doubles final at the 'PPA 500 San Clemente', the season's final event, held in San Clemente, California, USA, on May 10th local time (early morning May 11th Japan time). In this tournament, Funemizu and his partner Tama Shimabukuro competed as the 3rd seed. They advanced to the final with unstoppable momentum, defeating the 2nd seed in the quarterfinals and the 10th seed in the semifinals. Their momentum continued in the final, where they overcame the 21st seeded pair to achieve their long-cherished gold medal. His previous best performance in a PPA Tour tournament was 4th place (Atlanta tournament, May 2026), but he has now surpassed his personal best for two consecutive tournaments. In just two years since transitioning to the sport in 2024, he has finally reached the pinnacle of the world's top PPA Tour tournament. ■ Comment from Yuta Funemizu "I am very happy to have won a US Pro Tour tournament! First, I want to express my gratitude to my friends and fans in Japan and the US who have supported me this far. In this tournament, the frustration of finishing 4th last week fueled us, and the refined combination with my partner Tama paid off. I also want the younger generation in Japan who are dedicated to pickleball to know that if they challenge themselves with strong aspirations, the path to the world will surely open up. I will continue to strive to be a role model for all of you. This victory is thanks to the support of everyone in Japan. I will not be satisfied with this result and will aim for the world No. 1 ranking next." ■ Tournament Progress and Match Results Funemizu's partner: Tama Shimabukuro (American player) ・2nd Round (1st round bye): Won 2-0 vs Wall・Miyoshi (11-5, 11-7) ・Quarterfinals: Won 2-1 vs AJ Koller / Blaine Hovenier (11-9, 11-13, 11-6) ・Semifinals: Won 2-1 vs Cason Campbell / Adam Harvey (9-11, 11-2, 11-3) ・Final: Won 2-0 vs Nicolas Acevedo / Clayton Powell (11-9, 11-4) ■ Upcoming Schedule Funemizu is scheduled to participate with Tama Shimabukuro as his partner in the 'PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026', the first PPA Tour event to be held in Tokyo, from July 1st to 4th, 2026, at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi and Dome Tachikawa Tachihi (Official website here: https://www.tbs.co.jp/pickleball-tokyo/). ■ Yuta Funemizu Profile Started soft tennis at age 5 due to family influence. In 2009, he entered Tohoku High School and won two titles: Inter-High School Team and Individual championships. In 2012, he entered Waseda University. He achieved four consecutive victories in the All Japan University Soft Tennis Championship, winning all titles in team, doubles, and singles. In 2015, as a 4th-year university student, he was selected for the World Championship team and became world champion in the national team competition. In 2016, he joined NTT West, the top soft tennis corporate team among approximately 200 teams nationwide, and achieved 10 consecutive victories in the Soft Tennis Japan League. He has been active on the front lines, winning the All Japan Corporate Championship, National Sports Festival, Japan League, and international tournaments as a Japan representative. Since 2020, he has been active as a professional soft tennis player. From January 2024, he moved to the US alone. In March 2025, he was drafted by the 'Miami Pickleball Club' in the US professional pickleball league 'Major League Pickleball (MLP)'. As the first Japanese MLP player, he established himself as a regular player from the latter half of the first season, contributing to the club's playoff advancement. In 2026, his re-contract as a key player for the same club was confirmed. He specializes in the right side of doubles and has a unique volley style. Born in 1993, 32 years old. From Aomori Prefecture. YouTube: Pickleball Japan TV (@pickleball-japan) Official URL: https://aasmanagement.com/profile/yuta_funemizu/ [About Pickleball] Pickleball, originating in the United States, combines elements of tennis, table tennis, etc. Keywords: