TRAILBLAZERS LOOKING PEACHY AT LAST USA STOP
| May 5, 2026
In their final tournament on American soil before heading home, the UPA Asia Trailblazers turned up at the PPA Tour: Atlanta Slam — a 2,000-point stop and one of the biggest stages on the entire PPA Tour calendar — and the Class of 2026 delivered their strongest week yet.
Pro Breakthrough in the Peach State
The headline result came from Tang Nok Yiu and Mihae Kwon cracking the round of 16 in Pro Women’s Doubles, the best PPA Ranking points haul of any Trailblazer since landing in the states.
They opened their main draw account with a three-game win over 19th seeds Jalina Ingram and Kiora Kunimoto, then took down 11th seeds Kaitlyn Christian and Lucy Kovalova 11-8, 0-11, 11-1. It was a massive upset with Christian a two-time PPA Tour Asia gold medallist in Women’s Doubles. A round of 32 win over 23rd seeds Chloe Igleski and Ella Yeh set up a Round of 16 date with 7th seeds Lacy Schneemann and Etta Tuionetoa, where the run ended in two tight games.
5.0 Results: A Fitting Farewell
The Pro run was the headline, but the Trailblazers weren’t done.
Tang and Mihae kept the fire burning with gold in Women’s Doubles 5.0. Mihae then added Women’s Singles 5.0 gold, with Tya Karina Aditya taking silver in a week that will be bookmarked as a breakthrough.
On the men’s side, Syed Uzair and Colin Wong went one and two in Men’s Singles 5.0 — Uzair gold, Colin silver — before rounding out the week with bronze in Men’s Doubles 5.0 together.
Next Stop: Kuala Lumpur
The USA chapter is now in the books. The Class of 2026 heads home with ranking points, Pro reps, and a week in Atlanta with some big time performances.
Up next: the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open 2026, a PPA Asia 500 stop and the Trailblazers’ first outing on continental soil this season.
With three months of training and competition banked, the rest of the tour is on notice.
