KUALA LUMPUR, April 8, 2026 — The city skyline wasn’t the only thing reaching new heights this week. The JOOLA Titans Tour 2026 officially concluded its Kuala Lumpur stop, leaving an indelible mark on the sport of pickleball and securing a spot in the history books with an official Guinness World Record™ for the Highest Pickleball Match in a Building.
From the high-energy atmosphere at Stadium Juara to the record-breaking summit at Merdeka 118, here is everything that went down:
A World Record at the Summit
The crowning jewel of the tour took place at Level 118 of the iconic Merdeka 118. At over 500 metres above ground, tennis legend Andre Agassi and World No. 1 Ben Johns led a star-studded exhibition on a RM1.2 million custom-built court specifically engineered for the skyscraper's summit.
The event featured a series of fast-paced matches in a first-to-seven format. The highlight was the headline mixed doubles matchup, which saw Andre Agassi and Brooke Buckner face off against the powerhouse duo of Ben Johns and Anna Bright.
The players were "mic’d up" throughout, allowing the small crowd of 100 VIPs and a global audience watching via the official JOOLA YouTube livestream to hear the playful banter and high-level strategy behind every point.
Despite the dizzying heights, the intensity remained elite. Team Agassi and Team Ben Johns traded blows across men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles, ultimately ending in a poetic 2-2 draw for the series.
"It’s great to see how fast pickleball is growing, and I’m just pleased and grateful to be part of it," said Agassi, during the event.
The record was officially verified by a Guinness World Records adjudicator in the presence of Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh, who lauded the event for putting Malaysia on the global pickleball map.
Stadium Juara: 2,000 Fans and a Dreambreaker Finale
While the record was set in the clouds, the heart of the tour beat at Stadium Juara in Mont Kiara. Over 2,000 spectators gathered to watch a masterclass in elite pickleball.
The atmosphere was electric as global stars like Collin Johns, Federico Staksrud, Tyson McGuffin, and Kate Fahey shared the court with Asia-Pacific’s finest, including Vietnam’s Ken Tam and Australia’s Andie Dikosavljevic.
The two-day stop culminated in a Dreambreaker Finale (a high-stakes singles rotation to 18 points). The format, known for its unpredictability, kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final rally.
Local Legends and Crossover Magic
In a nod to Malaysia’s rich sporting heritage, the tour invited local icons onto the court. Squash queen Datuk Nicol Ann David and hockey Olympian Mirnawan Nawawi joined the pros for a special crossover match. Seeing Nicol David pair up with Ben Johns against Anna Bright and Mirnawan Nawawi proved that the "pickleball bug" has truly bitten Malaysia’s sporting elite.
Beyond the exhibition, local enthusiasts were treated to Pro-Am sessions, where lucky fans and local club players had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to trade dinks with Agassi and Johns.
Impact Beyond the Court
"From the historic moment at Merdeka 118 to the energy at Stadium Juara, this stop reflects not just the growth of pickleball in Malaysia, but its potential as a major sporting and cultural platform across Asia," said Tom Nguyen, CEO of JOOLA APAC.
The JOOLA Titans Tour wasn't just about the pros. On April 8, the focus shifted to the grassroots:
- Community Clinics: Pros visited eight JOOLA-sponsored courts across the Klang Valley, supported by local distributors like Perfect Sports, Dinkit, and Tomaz Pickleball Club.
- Pro V Launch: The event served as the regional debut for JOOLA’s Pro V paddle series, featuring the new KineticFrame technology.
- Visit Malaysia 2026: In collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, the event was supported by Leapmotor as the official mobility sponsor, showcasing KL as a premier destination for world-class sporting tourism.
What's Next?
As the synchronized drones and pyrotechnics lit up the Merdeka 118 spire to signal the end of the KL leg, the JOOLA Titans Tour now sets its sights on Beijing.
For Malaysia, however, the momentum is just beginning. With a world record under its belt and thousands of new fans inspired, the "Pickleball Royalty" has left KL, but the kingdom they built is here to stay.
For more photos and exclusive interviews from the tour, stay tuned to our Instagram @thepicklebase.