Iconic Photo from Panas Malaysia Cup 2025 Earns Global Acclaim in World Sports Photography Awards 2026
The PPA Tour Asia’s inaugural season was full of memorable moments and career-defining matches, and many of them have been preserved in photographs by the different tournament photographers who worked with PPA Tour Asia. One of those photographs, in particular, recently received global acclaim as it was selected as a finalist in the World Sports Photography Awards 2026.
Said photograph, shown above, is that of Tyson McGuffin and Eric Oncins celebrating a hard-fought point in the Men’s Doubles gold-medal match in the Panas Malaysia Cup 2025. McGuffin and Oncins were taking on the high-powered pair of Christian Alshon and Ben Johns, and they celebrated the win by launching their paddles skyward. Both paddles hang frozen in time in the photo as both players show raw emotion and athletic intensity. McGuffin and Oncins won that iconic match, 2-1 (11-5, 13-15, 11-9), to win gold in PPA Tour Asia’s first leg this season.
Tournament photographer Ashok Kumar took said picture, which earned finallist status in the Racquet Sports category. Such recognition marks a significant milestone for pickleball photography on the global stage, with the sport represented among the world’s elite sporting imagery.
The World Sports Photography Awards is the world’s most prestigious sports photography competition, judged by leading figures from sport, media, photography, and creative industries. The 2026 edition proved to be the most competitive yet, drawing over 23,000 images from 4,100 photographers across more than 123 countries around the world.
Winners will be announced in January 2026. You can view the other finallists in the different categories HERE.
You can relive that thrilling Men’s Doubles Finals here:
