A glow-in-the-dark pickleball tournament, billed as the first ever staged in Saudi Arabia, served as the centerpiece of Kabayan Riyadh Pickleball’s first-anniversary celebration, drawing players and supporters to an evening of competition lit only by the glow of the court.
The club, known as KRP, has expanded sharply since its founding. What began as a circle of just 10 regular players has swelled to roughly 200 members within a single year, drawing participants from the Filipino community alongside players of other nationalities. That trajectory has positioned the group among the most active pickleball communities in the country.
Raul Palenzuela Jr and Wilson Loren established the organization, building it around a shared enthusiasm for the sport. Much of the club’s competitive infrastructure during its first year was shaped by Tournament Director Junar Gunita, who organized its principal events and brought in tools including Reclub for event management and DUPR, the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system that lets stronger players earn internationally recognized rankings and monitor their standing globally.
Competition at the anniversary event spanned three divisions. Junar and Nerah took the couples title, Richard and Tyrone won the men’s bracket, and Crystal and Jojan claimed the women’s division.
The club’s first year included a series of events that raised the sport’s visibility locally. KRP staged its first in-house tournament to give members an initial competitive outlet, held an interclub friendly with Pickle-Guard Pickleball Club, and ran Kabayan Cup Season 1, described by the club as the largest pickleball tournament held in the Kingdom to date. A separate Picklebull Tournament gathered some of the strongest men’s players in the community.
Ahead lies Kabayan Cup Season 2, which the organizers expect to exceed the first edition in scale. The club is also preparing the Picklebabe Tournament, a competition built specifically around elite female athletes that aims to widen women’s participation in the sport and offer up-and-coming players a stage of their own.
