By Everest Hala
A professional pickleball player Etta Tuionetoa (33), of Tongan heritage, has established her place in the top tier league of the Professional Pickleball Association in the USA, where she holds four gold medals (doubles and mixed) and an impressive winning streak. She hails as the first Tongan-American pro player in the sport.
Pickleball is a paddle sport blending tennis, badminton, and table tennis played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly lower net. Players use a solid paddle and a perforated plastic ball in singles or doubles, with underhand serves, in a sport that is recognised as easy to learn but challenging to master.
Etta (nee Marietta Wright) was born in New Zealand where she grew up cultivating her athletic background. A natural athlete, she has played many sports from touch rugby and netball to field hockey and tennis.
She moved to the United States where she attended Brigham Young University-Hawaii, where she played varsity tennis, and later became an assistant tennis coach.
She was introduced to pickleball in 2018 and the PPA named her a pro player in 2022.
“I am Tongan so being able to represent my culture here is really rewarding.” Etta told PPA in a video interview.
Career success
Since the beginning of her pro-career, she has won a total of 24 pickleball medals in doubles and mixed: 4 golds,10 silvers and 10 bronzes. In September 2025 she won gold with her partner Lacy Schneeman in the women’s doubles at the Vintage Wood Paddle Open, a PPA tournament held in Sacramento California. In the Major Pickleball League,
Etta represents the Texas Ranchers in the Premier division. Her upset victory at the Texas Open remains a highlight of her career, cementing her reputation as a player capable of challenging the sport’s elite.
Professional pickleball players like Etta earn income through prize money on PPA tours and team contracts.
Etta is married to Jake Tuionetoa. They have one daughter and they live in American Fork, Utah.
