PPA Tour Asia’s Kimberly Koh Vows Continuous Improvement After Panas Malaysia Cup Slip-Ups
Long before the MB Vietnam Cup 2025 set a Guinness World Record in fan attendance, the PPA Tour Asia had modest beginnings in the Panas Malaysia Open 2025—a tournament that was, shall we say, far from perfect. In fact, we at PNA were very critical of how PPA Tour Asia handled the event, especially with regard to the amateur players, whom we felt were treated differently from the pros—and not in a good way.
Evidently, our gripes are being heard. In fact, in a guest appearance on The Nasty Nelson PNA Podcast, United Pickleball Association Asia (UPAA) Managing Director Kimberly Koh admitted that the PPA Tour Asia’s inaugural tournament was far from perfect. But she was just as quick to point out that they’re trying to improve and are using criticism and feedback as inspiration and guideposts as they try to navigate Asia’s “very interesting mix of players” that includes both pros and amateurs.
“We appreciate your feedback… From the time that you’ve actually covered our event in KL (Kuala Lumpur), there have been improvements,” Koh said on The Nasty Nelson. “I think on our side, we’re also equally critical of ourselves. Actually, after every single event, we do send out questionnaires to all our players because we do want to get the feedback, and we want to continually kind of improve.”
From Pro-Oriented to Catering to Both Amateurs and Professionals
To be fair to Koh and the UPA-A, they entered Asia at a disadvantage since the PPA Tour, according to Koh, has a mostly pro orientation. This would likely explain why PPA Tour Asia found it difficult at first to run amateur competitions in parallel with the pro division.
“It was our first event (Panas Malaysia Cup). I think if you look a little bit at our team’s background, to be honest, most of us come from a pro sporting background. So, for us it’s arguably easier to be putting up a good pro show compared to that amateur experience, and that’s why we really appreciate all the feedback that we do get,” Koh told PNA. “The number of pro matches at every event we have is maybe 10–20% of pros versus the amateur side, but we know that pickleball comes very much from a community angle…”
The PPA Tour Asia’s initial shortcomings notwithstanding, Koh is bullish that they are turning things around and getting a better grip on the amateur side of things. But she maintains that it is still a work in progress.
“It’s a very interesting mix of players, and our goal is really to try and provide the best amateur experience where they do come and play, but at the same time, when they come and play, they also then stay and watch the pro game. So, it’s really important for us to ensure that the amateur experience is good. It’s still something that we’re working on.”
Professionalising Pickleball One Tournament at a Time
Ultimately, the UPA-A’s end goal, according to Koh, is to professionalise the sport and turn Asia’s best pickleball players into big stars—in the calibre perhaps of a Ben Johns or an Anna Leigh Waters. Only now, Koh and the rest of PPA Tour Asia aren’t looking past the amateur ranks.
“The amateur game is super important for us because it comes [with the] community, and we need, you know, to have these players wanting to continue to play where the pros play at the PPA event…,” Koh further stated. “There’s always room for improvement, and we’re always looking to try and improve both of the sides. Our focus is equal on both sides, to be honest.”
After a rocky start, it’s certainly refreshing to know that PPA Tour Asia is gradually picking up the intricacies of the Asian pickleball landscape—one where amateur players are just as important, if not more so, than the pros. There have been inroads to this end, to be fair, and the hope now is that the UPA-A and PPA Tour Asia continue to build on this progress to where a repeat of the Panas Malaysia Cup amateur experience won’t ever happen again.
