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Promising Chinese Player Defers PhD Programme to Give Pickleball Career a Shot

  • Long Yufei, a Shenzhen native and former NCAA Division I tennis player, deferred her PhD program in 2025 to pursue a professional pickleball career through the UPA Asia Trailblazers Programme.
  • Long made this choice after receiving acceptance letters to prestigious universities and evaluating two life paths amid pickleball's emerging status and rising popularity.
  • The program selects 12 regional players for a three-month U.S. training with contracts to compete in at least 10 annual events primarily across Asia, the U.S., and Australia.
  • Long explained that she had spent several months developing research proposals and completing applications, highlighting how challenging it was to put her doctoral studies on hold and take an unconventional path.
  • Long's decision illustrates growing professional opportunities in pickleball, reflecting a 57% participation increase in Canada since 2022 and expanding global interest in the sport.
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Oak Bay News broke the news in Oak Bay, Canada on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
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