TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (May 22, 2026) — The Golfirst Pickleball Court here became the battleground for competitive pickleball as Converge FiberX staged the second leg of its Power of X Pickleball Cup — a four-leg series making its rounds across Northern and Central Luzon.
The tournament drew players from across Tarlac province, with participants coming from various clubs in Tarlac City, Concepcion, Victoria, and Camiling. Despite limiting registration to 100 players, organizers said the demand far exceeded what the event could accommodate.
Michael Lopez, Converge’s Cluster Head for Tarlac Business Operation, said 300 players had expressed interest in joining the Tarlac leg alone — a figure that caught even the organizers off guard.
“We only managed to accommodate 100 players for the Tarlac leg competition. We did not expect that there are a lot of pickleball players in the province,” Lopez said.
The Power of X Pickleball Cup spans four cities across the region: Baguio City’s Camp John Hay Pavilion hosted the first leg, followed by Tarlac City’s Golfirst Pickleball Court for the second. The series moves next to Kalamandarin Pickleball Court in Nueva Ecija for the third leg, before wrapping up in Pampanga for the fourth and final leg at the Pampanga Pickleball Center.
Redge Cawatig, Converge’s trade marketing officer for North and Central Luzon, said the tournament reflects the telecommunications company’s broader philosophy of bringing people together — this time, through sport.
“Converge is all about connection. We want to connect with them, which is why we are having this competition. We want to connect with pickleball players in Tarlac. We got all the best that Tarlac can offer, and we brought them here to compete in the second leg,” Cawatig said in an interview at the sidelines of the event.
The series is powered by Converge FiberX under its “Paddle Up, North Luzon!” campaign. Elimination winners from each leg will advance to the championship round set for May 24 at the Pampanga Pickleball Center in San Fernando City.
