Facolos Wraps Its Three-Country Asia Tour in Manila

Facolos just closed a three-country pickleball campaign, and it ended in Pasig City. The EliteX V2 paddle, developed with PPA touring pro Gabe Tardio, launched commercially in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines on the same day, 7 Sep. Tardio then carried the paddle through all three countries in person, starting in Malaysia, moving through Singapore, and finishing in the Philippines on 19 to 21 Sep.

The Philippines stop was the last of the three. "Philippines, you made the Elite X Era feel real," Facolos wrote as it thanked the country for "welcoming Facolos and Gabe Tardio with so much love."

A Launch Event at Estancia

The Philippines leg centred on a launch event at Estancia, Ortigas Land's mall at Capitol Commons in Pasig City. It was organised by Facolos's Philippine partner, Supreme Legacy Sports, together with 2XU Philippines and Source Masters, Inc.

Tardio handed out signed paddles as part of "The Signed 10," a meet-and-greet where he autographed ten EliteX V2s for fans on the spot. Behind him, the brand had five EliteX V2 colourways on display, alongside the F-ECO paddle and a Facolos duffel bag and backpack.

2XU's own presence went beyond the mall stage. Its "brand-house experience" pointed attendees toward a separate clinic session at TELA Pickleball in Las Pinas, a second, smaller activation running alongside the main launch.

Meeting the National Team

Tardio's Philippines schedule was also planned to include clinics and a meeting with the Philippine national pickleball team, led by Ruben Gonzales Jr. "I know that there are good players here, as evident by the massive pickleball courts around," Tardio said of the local scene.

A packed crowd filled Estancia's event space for the launch, and Tardio also posed with Team Hampas LVPA, one of the local clubs on hand for the tour stop.

The Player Behind the Paddle

Tardio is a Bolivian pro who turned pro in 2022 and now partners with Ben Johns in men's doubles, a pairing Johns himself picked, and one that has already produced a PPA Masters title together. Tardio recently signed a three-year extension with the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. On the PPA Tour's own composite rankings table, he sits at World No. 2 with 13,291.3 points, behind Johns. Facolos's own recap the week before described him as still chasing "World No. 1 in Men's Doubles."

The Philippines wasn't Tardio's first stop in Asia this year either. He had already won men's doubles gold at the MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam in April, before this September swing turned into a three-country brand tour rather than a one-off tournament trip.

The farewell Reel Facolos posted from the Philippines pulled in 1,015 likes, against 59 on the launch post earlier the same day.

"The tour may be over," Facolos wrote as it wrapped the Philippines leg, "but the Elite X Era is just getting started."

This article is based on social media posts and historical data tracked by Pickle361.