Sri Lanka’s competitive racket-sports organiser Padel Chief has applied its ranked tournament format to Pickleball, running a 13-player, 13-round event at Air Sports Club.
Padel Chief held the inaugural SLAM25 Pickle tournament at Air Sports Club on Saturday, July 25. The event used SLAM25’s rotating doubles format and will feed results into Padel Chief’s ranking system.
The SLAM25 format was developed through more than 50 Padel tournaments, Padel Chief told Lakbima News, and organisers adapted it to Pickleball rules and court dimensions for this event.
Thirteen players rotated across three courts, with partnerships changing each round. Matches were played to 11 points under rally scoring, so every rally counted toward a player’s tournament score.
Pickleball participation in Sri Lanka has expanded in recent years, and Padel Chief said its network of more than 500 active Padel players includes individuals who already play or want to try Pickleball.
The organisation told Lakbima News that the aim was not to copy Padel competition wholesale but to use its administrative systems — draws, match tracking, and season scoring — for a sport with different rules and an emerging local player base.
Sahan edges Burhan in tight inaugural contest
The first SLAM25 Pickle event produced a close finish. Players completed 13 rounds of rotating doubles; officials recorded match results and point differentials on the event score sheet released by Padel Chief.
Dominik, Sahan and Ishan were early leaders. Sahan built momentum in the middle rounds, and Burhan mounted a late charge that left the top two separated only by point differential at the end.
Both Sahan and Burhan recorded 10 wins from 12 matches. Sahan finished with a +50 point differential, Burhan +40. Yoosuf recorded nine wins and a +27 differential to complete the podium.
Final podium: Sahan, first; Burhan, second; Yoosuf, third.
The tournament standings and match-by-match scores are available in the official results released by Padel Chief to participants and to Lakbima News.
Pickleball enters the Padel Chief rankings ecosystem
Padel Chief said SLAM25 Pickle results will be included in its player-rating system, which is already used across its Padel events. The organisation provided Lakbima News with a description of the rating method used for the tournament.
Padel Chief told Lakbima News it is pursuing affiliation with an internationally recognised ranking platform so local players who compete in its events can access wider recognition in future seasons.
Air Sports Club partnership
The tournament was organised in partnership with Air Sports Club. The club provided three air-conditioned courts and staff for line scoring, scheduling and player operations, according to the venue’s event summary shared with Lakbima News.
Padel Chief acknowledged the club’s role in the event and said the two organisations plan to continue the collaboration. SLAM25 Pickle is now scheduled as a weekly competition at Air Sports Club every Tuesday night, offering players a regular, structured event where every match and point contributes to season standings.
Organisers said the weekly format will create consistent competition as Pickleball participation increases and provide a clearer pathway for players tracking performance over a season.
