A Filipino teen athlete based in Dubai has announced herself on the international pickleball stage — and she is just getting started.
Rain Isabella Astano, a Selkirk Emerging Junior Pro athlete and one of the UAE’s most promising young pickleball players, made her international debut at the Asia Pickleball Junior Open 2026 in Thailand from July 31 to August 3, competing against some of the region’s top junior players.
In only her first international tournament, Rain reached the quarterfinals in both of her categories — finishing ranked 8th in the Girls’ Under-16 Doubles and ranked 6th in the Girls’ Under-14 Division. The results are a significant milestone for an athlete who only picked up the sport seven months ago.
The achievement adds another chapter to what has already been a remarkable rise. Rain began her athletic career in tennis at the age of 8, reaching a career-high UAE junior ranking of 37th in the Under-12 category before transitioning to pickleball — a sport she took to almost immediately after playing her first game with her family in Dubai.
Her international journey does not stop in Thailand. Rain is set to compete next at the International Pickleball Tournament — Pickleball World Cup Edition in Da Nang, Vietnam, from August 30 to September 3, 2026. The event is recognized as one of the world’s largest individual international pickleball tournaments, drawing more than 2,665 entries across 200-plus categories spanning Pro, Amateur, Junior, Wheelchair, KOL, and Entrepreneur divisions. Rain will compete once again in the Junior Division.
