Pickleball prodigy, 18, fined $50,000 for competing in Vietnam

American-born Vietnamese pickleball player Quang Duong has been fined $50,000 by the United Pickleball Association (UPA) for breaching his contract by returning to Vietnam to participate in a charity tournament.

Duong visited Vietnam on May 23 and competed in a local charity event. However, under the terms of his exclusive contract with the UPA, which governs participation in both the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP), he is prohibited from playing in unsanctioned tournaments outside the PPA system.

Quang Duong attends a charity pickleball tournament in Vietnam on May 23, 2025. Photo by Facebook/Quang Duong

As a result, the UPA fined Duong $50,000 and imposed a suspension that bars him from competing in one PPA Tour event, the Select Medical Orange County Cup in June, and one MLP tournament, MLP Phoenix, scheduled for this weekend. The suspension takes effect from May 30, according to The Kitchen Pickleball.

Missing the Orange County Cup could significantly impact Duong’s ranking, as the event offers 1,500 points and is considered one of the most important tournaments on the PPA calendar.

UPA president Jason Aspes stated that the exclusivity clause is essential for maintaining the integrity and development of professional pickleball. While the penalty is necessary, UPA hope Duong returns to competition soon, The Dink reported.

Duong Thien Quang, known professionally as Quang Duong, was born in 2006 in Manhattan Beach, California, to Vietnamese parents. His father, a former table tennis player, introduced him early to racket sports such as tennis, table tennis and padel. Duong began playing pickleball in 2020 after watching a professional match on television and quickly rose through the ranks thanks to his strong athletic foundation.

In 2024, Duong won the PPA Tour Rate Championships in men’s singles and currently tops the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) junior men's singles rankings. He gained international attention after defeating world number one duo Ben and Collin Johns at the 2024 Lapiplasty and went on to win the world championship IHG Bristol Open. He is currently ranked sixth in the world in men’s singles.

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