Sansan-Supported Players Nasa Hatakeyama and Kei Sawaki Sign Professional Contracts with World's Top Pickleball Tour

Sansan Inc., whose mission is to "Create innovation from encounters," is pleased to announce that Nasa Hatakeyama and Kei Sawaki, athletes supported by our company, have signed professional contracts with the PPA Tour (The Professional Pickleball Association Tour), the world's premier professional pickleball tour.

Background and Significance of the Players' Professional Contracts

Both players have accumulated achievements in international competitions as first-term members of "Pickleball X," a global top pro development project fully sponsored by Sansan. Signing professional contracts with the PPA marks a significant milestone for them as they aim for the top of the world stage as Japanese athletes.

Sansan aims to increase its global presence as a business infrastructure, with its mission to "Create innovation from encounters." The success of Sansan-supported athletes on the world's highest stage and the global spread of their names not only contribute to the development of the sport but also serve to promote the Sansan brand internationally. Based on the idea that new encounters and connections through sports can be a source of innovation in business, Sansan will continue to support the athletes' competitive activities and jointly promote the improvement of pickleball competitiveness in Japan and the global expansion of the brand.

Player Profiles and Comments

Nasa Hatakeyama

Born in Hokkaido, 29 years old. Began playing tennis in childhood, achieving two national championships in junior categories. Was runner-up in the Inter-High School Championships during high school and won the Intercollegiate Championships twice in university.

In his first year as a working professional, he took up padel and was selected for the Japanese national team within just one year, later becoming the captain of the national team. He won the All Japan Championships three times and was selected for the Japanese national padel team for the 2026 Asian Games.

Encountered pickleball in the fall of 2024 and joined as a first-term member of "Pickleball X," Japan's first elite development project. He became the first Japanese player in history to reach the finals of the PPA Tour Asia men's singles, finishing as runner-up.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nasa.picklepadel

Comment:

"With the PPA contract as a new starting line, I aim to become a leader in bringing Japanese pickleball to the world. While focusing on results, I want to deliver energy, hope, and vitality to many people through my challenging journey. I will also dedicate myself to promoting the sport so that the lives of those who experience pickleball can be enriched even a little."

Kei Sawaki

Born in Tokyo, 15 years old. Started playing tennis at age 5, achieving numerous results including a runner-up finish in the All Japan Elementary School Championships. Encountered pickleball at age 14 and was selected as the youngest member of the "Pickleball X" first-term cohort. In 2025, she won the U-16 singles and doubles at the "Asia Pickleball Junior Open" and also won the junior category and competed in the women's doubles pro main draw at the "PPA Tour World Championships." She is a top young player, considered one of the strongest candidates for the Japanese national team at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Official Website: https://keisawaki.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keipball/

Comment:

"My future goal is to establish an academy and become someone who can deliver a positive impact to people around the world through sports. To achieve that, I believe it is necessary to first challenge myself on the world's highest stage as an athlete and continue to grow. I am deeply honored to have received this great opportunity with the PPA contract and to be able to compete on the same stage as the world's top players.

Although I am only 15 years old, I believe that the process of challenging itself has value, without making my age an excuse, and I will continue to challenge the world aiming for even higher levels. I will move forward step by step, never forgetting gratitude and humility."

Future Developments

Sansan resonates with the "power of encounters" that pickleball creates across generations and values, and began domestic promotion activities in February 2024. Moving forward, we will continue to promote the cultural establishment and improvement of competitive levels in pickleball through multifaceted approaches such as athlete support, holding experiential events, organizing tournaments, and operating facilities.

As part of this initiative, Sansan will be a special sponsor as the title sponsor for "PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026 Produced by TBS," to be held in Tachikawa, Tokyo, starting July 1, 2026 (Tue.). By supporting this tournament, which will be held in Tokyo for the first time as part of the PPA Tour's expansion into Asia, we aim to further accelerate the development of professional pickleball and market expansion in Japan and across Asia.

https://www.tbs.co.jp/pickleball-tokyo/

In the same month, on the 10th, "Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro" (Toshima-ku, Tokyo), a large-scale facility dedicated to pickleball and the first of its kind in Tokyo, is scheduled to open. We will continue to work on the promotion and market expansion of pickleball through measures such as providing playing opportunities, organizing tournaments, and corporate collaborations.

https://sansan-pickleball.com/

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Company Overview of Sansan Inc.

With the mission to "Create innovation from encounters," Sansan Inc. provides AX services that transform the way people work. Our main services include the business database "Sansan," the business card app "Eight," the accounting AX service "Bill One," the contract management service "Contract One," and data quality management "Sansan Data Intelligence," which are offered both domestically and internationally.

Established: June 11, 2007

URL: https://jp.corp-sansan.com/

Location: Shibuya Sakura Stage 28F, 1-1 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-6228

Capital: 7.35 billion yen (as of February 28, 2026)

Business Activities: Planning, development, and sales of AX services that transform the way people work.

Sansan https://jp.sansan.com/

Eight https://8card.net/

Bill One https://bill-one.com/

Contract One https://contract-one.com/

Sansan Data Intelligence https://jp.sansan.com/sansan-data-intelligence/