Vietnam’s Hien Truong, Quan Do Impress Anna Bright as They Push Ben Johns, Christian Alshon to Limit
Yes, we did say there’s probably no way the high-profile guests—Ben Johns, Christian Alshon, and company—of the ongoing Panas Malaysia Cup 2025 will lose.
But for a fleeting moment on Thursday, the improbable seemed on the verge of happening. The high-powered pair of Johns and Alshon, both in the top 10 in the PPA rankings, took on the Vietnamese duo of Hien Truong and Quan Do in the Round of 16 and looked headed for an easy win after blanking Truong and Do in the first game, 11-0.
Lo and behold, the Vietnamese pair came to life in the second game, eking out an 11-9 victory to set up a do-or-die third game. Even more shocking, Truong and Do, who had to play a Round of 32 match earlier in the day, found themselves ahead, 8-7, and three points away from pulling off a gargantuan upset.
It wasn’t meant to be, though, as Johns and Alshon scored the next four points to avert disaster and win the final game, 11-8.
Hien Truong and Quan Do Get Noticed by Anna Bright
This may be hyperbole, but it was a heroic and inspiring effort from Truong and Do, who had the crowd in a frenzy as they matched their much-heralded counterparts point-for-point in the second and third frames. It was such a gallant stand that no less than Anna Bright, one of the tournament’s high-profile guests from the US, was impressed.
“Crazy freaking match in Malaysia! In lounge and it was so loud… has been for a while. Eventually I tune in and Ben and Christian are down 8-7 IN THE THIRD‼️‼️ They pull through. Sheeeeeeesh. The guys they played were so good! Asian pickleball,” Bright wrote on X in the aftermath of that rollercoaster of a match Johns and Alshon found themselves in—on opening day no less.
What Does It All Mean?
Now, it’s easy to say that this near-upset is proof that Asia is on par with the best of the best in pickleball. But that’s a knee-jerk reaction, to be honest. It showed Asian players can hang with the top pros of the world, but it’s probably premature to say that the continent’s preeminent talent are at that level already—especially considering that no upset did happen in Day 1.
But, at the very least, Truong and Do showed that Johns and company can’t take their Asian counterparts lightly and should instead give nothing short of their best. If not, there’s no reason an upset or two can’t happen in Malaysia.
Then again, we could be wrong. It’s just as possible that Johns and Alshon had an offday and that Truong and Do played the match of their lives. Who knows for certain, right? And that’s all the more reason to tune in to the Panas Malaysia Cup 2025.
