Historic First! Pro Pickleball Player Yuta Funamizu Achieves First Japanese Victory at a US Pro Tour Tournament!

Left: Tama Shimabukuro Right: Yuta Funamizu (©Lauren Yoon) Yuta Funamizu, a professional pickleball player competing in the US Pro Pickleball Tour (PPA Tour), achieved a historic first for a Japanese player by winning a PPA Tour tournament in the men's doubles final at the "PPA 500 San Clemente," the season's final event held in San Clemente, California, on May 10th local time (May 11th JST). In this tournament, Funamizu participated as the 3rd seed with his partner, Tama Shimabukuro. They advanced to the finals with unstoppable momentum, defeating the 2nd seed in the quarterfinals and the 10th seed in the semifinals. Their momentum continued in the finals, where they defeated the 21st seed pair to secure 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 broken his personal best in two consecutive tournaments, reaching the pinnacle of the world's top PPA Tour just two years after transitioning to the sport in 2024. ■ Comment from Yuta Funamizu "I am so 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 regret of my 4th place finish last week fueled me, and the refined combination with my partner Tama paid off. I also want the younger generation in Japan who are working hard in pickleball to know that if you challenge with a strong will, the path to the world will surely open up. I will continue to run to be a goal 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 to be the world number one next." ■ Tournament Progress and Results Funamizu'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) ・Finals: Won 2-0 vs Nicolas Acevedo / Clayton Powell (11-9, 11-4) ■ Upcoming Schedule Funamizu is scheduled to participate with Tama Shimabukuro 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/). ■ Profile of Yuta Funamizu Started soft tennis at age 5, influenced by his family. In 2009, he entered Tohoku High School and won both the team and individual titles at the Inter-High School Championships. In 2012, he entered Waseda University. He achieved four consecutive victories in the All Japan University Soft Tennis Championships, winning all team, doubles, and singles titles. In 2015, in his fourth year of university, he was selected as a member of the World Championships team and became world champion in the national team competition. In 2016, he joined NTT West, the pinnacle of corporate soft tennis teams with approximately 200 teams nationwide, and achieved 10 consecutive Japan League titles. He has been active on the front lines, winning the All Japan Businessmen's Championship, National Sports Festival, Japan League, and international tournaments as a representative of Japan. From 2020, he began his activities as a professional soft tennis player. In 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 became a regular player from the latter half of the first season and contributed to the club's advancement to the playoffs. In 2026, he was re-signed as a key player for the same club. He specializes in the right side of doubles and possesses 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_funamizu/ [About Pickleball] Pickleball, originated in America, combines elements of tennis and table tennis.