
Star-studded field headlines PPA Tour Asia’s Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup
There will be no shortage of star power at this week’s PPA Tour Asia Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup, which runs Wednesday through Sunday in Malaysia.
Here are the notable storylines and matchups to watch:
Rivals-turned-partners lead men’s doubles draw
Gabe Tardio and Noe Khlif join forces just weeks after facing off at the MLP Finals. Their projected semifinal is against Eunggwon Kim and Hong Kit Wong. Waiting on the other side of the draw are Augie Ge and Len Yang, with Tama Shimabukuro and Yuta Funemizu also lurking in that half.
Two hot hands on collision course in men’s singles
Noe Khlif draws a test straight away, with a projected quarterfinal against Luc Pham. Pham has been one of the top players on the circuit—a finalist at the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open and a semifinalist in Shenzhen during his last two stops. Elsewhere, top seed Zane Ford headlines a half that also features Eunggwon Kim and Harrison Brown, while three-time champion Hong Kit Wong anchors the opposite end with Tama Shimabukuro and Kenta Miyoshi in his path.
Danger everywhere in women’s singles
Kaitlyn Christian takes the top seed with real Malaysian pedigree after claiming gold at the Panas Malaysia Cup last year. Her projected quarterfinal, however, could prove challenging. Anni Xie lurks in that section, but would need to defeat Judit Castillo to earn a shot at Christian. The bottom half is stacked just as deep. Chao Yi Wang, Yufei Long, and Rika Fujiwara all sit on that side, with Brooke Buckner anchoring it. Christian and Buckner are projected finalists—a potential rematch of their MB Hanoi Cup final earlier this year.
Tardio and Christian go for two
Gabe Tardio could add more hardware to his trophy case when he partners with Jessie Irvine in mixed doubles. Kaitlyn Christian is also in the running for multiple titles by playing women's doubles with veteran Allyce Jones and mixed doubles with Eunggwon Kim.
Live coverage of the tournament is available via the Pickleballtv App and the PPA Tour Asia YouTube channel.
Here is the broadcast schedule:
Tuesday, September 8
9pm ET - 2am ET (Pickleballtv App)
Wednesday, September 9
3am ET - 9am ET (Pickleballtv App)
9pm ET - 3am ET (Pickleballtv App)
Thursday, September 10
4 am ET - 10 am ET (Pickleballtv App)
9 pm ET - 2 am ET (Pickleballtv App)
Friday, September 11
3am ET - 7am ET (Pickleballtv App)
9pm ET - 2am ET (Pickleballtv App)
Saturday, September 12
3am ET - 7am ET (Pickleballtv App)
Sunday, September 13
1am ET - 6am ET (Pickleballtv App)
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