Bright takes Manila by storm

Professional pickleball star Anna Bright was immediately blown away by a massive wave of local support after visiting the Philippines for a jampacked two-day Manila visit on Monday and Tuesday.

Fresh off capturing the Women’s Doubles championship at the Hong Kong Slam, the 43-time Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour titlist was completely floored by the warmth of the Filipino fans during her meet-and-greet at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on Tuesday before wrapping up her packed itinerary with a visit to local pickleball communities, retail shops and facilities.

Bright quickly broke the ice and sent the roaring crowd into a frenzy by shouting, “Mabuhay! Salamat Manila! Salamat Pilipinas!”

Fully embracing her host country’s culture, the American sports icon joyfully put on a traditional pink Filipiniana bolero and happily shared that she had already tried street food delicacies like isaw and sisig.

“The Filipino pickleball community here has been so, so, so incredible,” Bright stressed.

“I knew how much everyone loved pickleball here, but the warm welcome, the culture, the desire to kind of share your culture with me... I’m so excited to be here in front of everyone today.”

When asked about the rapid explosion of the sport across the region, Bright was quick to acknowledge its massive, untapped potential. According to DUPR’s latest 12-month user growth data, the country recorded an impressive 1,213 percent increase in DUPR users, ranking it as the world’s fastest-growing pickleball market.

“As a spectator sport, pickleball is going to grow so fast in Asia. I think it can even grow faster than the United States, where we have other sports that are already very big, very established,” the PPA standout explained.

“But here you have courts in malls, and there’s tons of people watching.”

Beyond the fanfare, Bright also took the time to impart a powerful lesson on mental toughness to young Filipina athletes who might be nervous about taking risks on the court.