The Panas Malaysia Cup on the PPA Tour Asia runs Wednesday to Sunday, September 24–28, and the draw is anything but routine. World No. 1 in men’s and mixed doubles, Ben Johns enters as the top seed in both events—and he’s bringing two partnerships that change the temperature of the whole week.
Men’s Doubles: Rivals Link Up
Johns teams with Christian Alshon in a surprise pairing after years on opposite sides of the net. It’s their first run as a duo, and it instantly becomes the men’s doubles storyline to watch. Expect a fast read on chemistry: serve pressure, third-shot patterns, and who commands the middle in big points.
Mixed Doubles: The Bright Reunion
In mixed, Johns reunites with Anna Bright, the tandem that reached the LA Open final in April 2024. Their quarter includes Armaan Bhatia and Liz Truluck, setting up an early stress test for the No. 1 seeds and a measuring stick for Bhatia/Truluck as they step into one of the week’s toughest lanes.
Rising Stars and Big Returns
Zoey Wang, 23, makes her PPA Asia debut with three women’s singles medals already on the résumé and a clear goal: turn podiums into a first gold. She’s pulling triple duty—women’s doubles with Kaitlyn Christian and mixed with Tyson McGuffin.
Christian arrives on a heater. The No. 3 in PPA women’s singles owns a December win at the Daytona Beach Open and a fresh title from the Las Vegas Walgreens Open. Her likely quarterfinal? Yufei Long, who has captured three of the last four women’s singles events and lifted her first trophy at this venue in July. That’s a collision of form vs. momentum—and a clear barometer for the rest of the draw.
Women’s Doubles
Top seeds Anna Bright and Roos van Reek headline women’s doubles. Bright’s haul—48 PPA medals, 19 golds—makes them the team to beat on paper.
The volatility is on the other half: Ting Chieh Wei and Alix Truong. Wei ripped three straight PPA Asia doubles titles before Truong stopped that streak in Vietnam. Now they’re partners and could see Yufei Long and Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall in the quarters. Twist of the knife: Wei won gold with both Long and Wang-Beckvall earlier this season.
Mixed Doubles
The No. 4 seeds, siblings Jonathan and Alix Truong, could draw Joseph Wild and Danni-Elle Townsend in the quarters—a revenge shot after the Australians bounced them in Vietnam. Elsewhere, Roos van Reek links with Zane Navratil for a high-IQ mixed team that may face the power-precision combo of Alshon and Kaitlyn Christian in a loaded section.
Statement Week for Pickleball in Asia
Across five charged days in Malaysia, the Panas Malaysia Cup will measure more than podiums: it will test Asia’s depth, amplify its crowds, and quicken the sport’s heartbeat. The region is no longer a stopover, it’s a standard-setter. This is a defining moment not just for Malaysia but for the broader growth of pickleball in Asia
As more players and fans embrace the game, the Panas Cup reinforces how pickleball Asia is evolving into a vibrant hub for talent, competition, and community. When Sunday closes, the takeaway won’t be a bracket line; it’ll be the certainty that the center of this game is shifting east.
