Is Quang Duong Returning to the PPA Tour?

"In order to be the best, you've got to play on the PPA Tour. And QD wants to be the best."

Before James, Ryan, and Vivian were terminated by the UPA for participating in an unsanctioned event in Japan, another high-profile pro was sent packing after multiple violations of his contract's exclusivity clause.

That pro was Quang Duong.

Over Memorial Day weekend of 2025, news spread that Duong had played in an unsanctioned tournament in Vietnam. Fast forward to that July, and QD was back in Vietnam while all 16 Major League Pickleball Premier teams, including his own, the LA Mad Drops, competed in the Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, MI.

That proved to be the final straw; the UPA terminated QD's contract, citing "multiple and repeated violations of the exclusivity terms of the agreement."

And yet...

QD spotted at The Masters

Speculation has been mounting for months that Quang Duong could be coming back to the PPA Tour.

In a recent video, Zane Navratil played the part of pickleball sleuth, pulling some compelling bits of evidence together.

1. First, it appears as though QD's paddle deal with Vietnamese brand Sypik has ended – a deal Quang's dad Duc insinuated to us on the PicklePod was very possibly worth north of $500,000 per year
2. QD posted to his IG recently playing with the Life Time ball, the official ball of the PPA Tour
3. That post had a notable like by none other than PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe
4. And a few days later, QD and Duc were spotted in the VIP section at the PPA Masters, taking in the action court-side while catching up with "some friends"

Now, the pickleball world is talking about a possible return.

"When the whole termination occurred, I thought it was a huge loss for both parties," said Zane in his video.

Pics or it doesn't count

Sure enough, QD was at PPA Masters over the weekend.

The first sighting came from Jimmy Miller; that's Pardoe and QD's dad, Duc.

And here's the whole gang – QD, Pardoe, and Duc – courtesy of UPA-A President Jason Aspes. Just look at those smiles.

Of course, none of this actually means Quang is re-signing with the UPA anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.

There has been no official word from either party.

But it's starting to feel like the wind is changing course and blowing in that direction.

As Zane said:

Plenty more on this to come. In the meantime, make sure you're signed up for our email newsletter. We break lots of pickleball news there first.