The biggest name in pickleball is finally playing in Asia. Ben Johns headlines the Panas Malaysia Cup as the top seed in both Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles, his first PPA appearance outside the United States, and he brings a brand-new partnership with him.
The essentials
Dates | September 24 to 28, 2025 |
Venue | 9Pickle and Setia City Convention Centre, Shah Alam, Selangor |
Pro prize money | US$150,000 |
Where exactly | Setia Alam, Shah Alam, on the western edge of Kuala Lumpur |
Field | 173 pro players and 324 amateurs |
Tier | The first Cup on the PPA Tour Asia calendar, and its largest purse to date; Asia and USA ranking points both on offer |
Pro schedule | Qualifying Wednesday, main draw from Thursday, quarterfinals Friday, semifinals Saturday, finals Sunday |
Stop | Fifth of seven on the 2025 calendar, and a return to 9Pickle after July's Panas Malaysia Open |
Official results | pickleballtournaments.com |
Storylines
Johns and Alshon, rivals turned partners
Ben Johns and Christian Alshon (USA) form the Men's Doubles top seed after 47 meetings on opposite sides of the net across PPA and MLP events. Their first tournament together is a test of whether former rivals can find chemistry in a week. Johns also plays Mixed Doubles with Anna Bright (USA), their second tournament as a pair after reaching the LA Open final in April 2024.
Wang and Christian in every draw
Chao Yi Wang (TPE) returns to Asian courts with three Women's Singles medals on the PPA Tour and no gold yet. She plays all three events, with Kaitlyn Christian (USA) in Women's Doubles and Tyson McGuffin (USA) in Mixed Doubles. Christian, ranked No. 3 on the PPA Tour, makes her Asian debut after winning last month's Walgreens Open in Las Vegas, her fourth straight final since a breakthrough at the end of 2024.
A Malaysia Open rematch in the round of 16
Giang Trinh (VIE) and Vanshik Kapadia (IND) land in the same section of Men's Singles and could meet in the round of 16. Trinh beat Kapadia in July's Malaysia Open final on these courts, when Kapadia fell one match short of a triple crown after winning both doubles titles.
Wei, Truong, Long: the doubles tangle
Ting Chieh Wei (TPE) partners Alix Truong (USA), the player who ended her three-tournament Women's Doubles winning streak in Vietnam earlier this month. A quarterfinal against Yufei Long (CHN) and Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall (USA), both former partners from Wei's title runs, is on the cards. Long is the biggest threat in Women's Singles, chasing a fourth PPA Tour Asia singles title after her breakthrough win at this same venue in July.
Malaysians in the draw
This is the deepest Malaysian entry of the season. Jimmy Liong (MAS) and Syed Uzair Sufi (MAS) are in the Men's Singles main draw; Liong partners Leander Lazaro (PHI) in Men's Doubles. Muhammad Aiman (MAS) pairs with Nicholas Maleganeas (AUS), and Athilla Miasara (MAS) plays Women's Doubles with Mayu Ito (JPN). Wednesday's qualifying is packed with local names, including Farreez Isqandar, Ritchie Lee, Bryan Lee, Syabil Shaharudin, Muhammad Ashaari Zainal Abidin, Ooi Kah Yan and Joanne Wong.
Prize money and points
US$150,000 (about RM630,000) is on the line, three times the purse of the tour's Open stops. Cup events also carry PPA Tour USA ranking points.
Singles (US$) | Doubles (US$) | Asia points | USA points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gold | 5,000 | 8,000 | 1500 | 1000 |
Silver | 2,600 | 5,000 | 1200 | 800 |
Bronze | 1,900 | 3,500 | 900 | 600 |
4th | 1,400 | 2,500 | 600 | 400 |
Quarterfinal | 900 | 1,500 | 300 | 200 |
Round of 16 | 500 | 1,000 | 150 | 100 |
Round of 32 | 200 | 450 | 75 | 50 |
Next on the tour
The tour's next stop is the MB Vietnam Cup, September 30 to October 4 in Da Nang. Schedules for every stop are on events.thepicklebase.com.