Khoo Er Yang Nets Double Gold as AmBank Malaysia Pickleball Championship Delivers Statement Weekend
SUBANG—Former national tennis player Khoo Er Yang arrived at the AmBank Malaysia Pickleball Championship with a point to prove. He left with two gold medals and no more doubts.
Er Yang completed a remarkable open double at the Playa Racquet Club at Parc Subang, claiming both the Men’s Doubles Open and Mixed Doubles Open titles across three days of competition that drew players from 10 countries and reinforced, once again, that Malaysian pickleball is no longer the sport it was even a year ago.
“I’m definitely happy because I’ve had a lot of fourth-place finishes and semi-final exits in previous tournaments,” Er Yang said. “To finally win a title this year means a lot.”
He was not wrong to savour it. The standard, by his own assessment, has risen sharply.
“If you compare tournaments from last year to now, the standard has improved a lot. Even getting out of the group stage is difficult nowadays, which is a very good sign for the sport.”
In the Men’s Doubles open, Er Yang partnered Farreez Isqandar to defeat Julian Lee Chi Shen and Alexander Tran 11-6, 11-8 in the final, earning a RM4,200 winners’ cheque. He then returned to the Mixed Doubles Open alongside Wong Joe Yan, beating Benjamin Ngoi Ming De and Choong Kai Le 11-6, 11-4 to complete the sweep.
“This is definitely one of the better organised tournaments I’ve played in,” Er Yang said. “The atmosphere was fantastic and the support provided for players throughout the weekend was excellent.”
Other Storylines From the AmBank Malaysia Pickleball Championship
The Women’s Doubles open delivered its own compelling storyline. Nesya Tan and Natnicha Lueangtawikit were simply dominant, dismantling Kong Li-Ann and Joey Cheng 11-1, 11-4 in the final in one of the most one-sided championship matches of the weekend.
The category’s most talked-about pairing, though, was the unlikely combination of Rio Olympics badminton mixed doubles silver medallist Goh Liu Ying and former national squash player Ooi Kah Yan—first-time partners who exceeded every expectation, advancing all the way to the semi-finals before finishing fourth after the third-place playoff.
“Actually, we found out that our combination was quite good, surprisingly,” Liu Ying said. “It was our first time partnering and we didn’t expect to reach the semi-finals because many of the other players are very active in competitions.”
That a badminton Olympian and a former national squash player could walk into a pickleball tournament together for the first time and reach the last four speaks to what the sport does best—it rewards racket sport instincts, physical literacy, and competitive experience in a way that makes transitions from other disciplines remarkably natural.
The celebrity sporting appeal extended across the field. Rio Olympics gold medallist Chan Peng Soon joined Liu Ying as part of the badminton contingent on court. Former national hockey captain Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi, golfing brothers Low Khai Loon and Low Khai Jei, former national tennis players Assri Merzuki and Ashaari Zainal Abidin also featured, turning what was already a competitive open championship into a showcase that crossed sporting communities and generations.
The international dimension was equally notable. Players from Japan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Dominica joined the Malaysian contingent, giving the AmBank Malaysia Pickleball Championship a genuine regional footprint to match its domestic ambitions.
Malaysia’s Pickleball Scene Is Unstoppable
The prize pool stood at RM66,000 across novice, intermediate, and open divisions—a figure that reflects both the commercial backing and the competitive seriousness of the event. Title sponsor AmBank Group’s group corporate communications and marketing head Shazman Shahid framed the partnership in terms that go beyond logo placement.
“As a sport that is accessible, inclusive and enjoyable for people of all ages, pickleball is an excellent platform for promoting active lifestyles, community engagement and overall wellbeing,” Shahid said. “At AmBank, we are committed to supporting initiatives that bring communities together while encouraging healthier living.”
For Score Sports Management, the response across three days gave them exactly the confidence they needed.
“This gives us great confidence to continue growing the championship in the years ahead,” said strategy director James Tan.
Er Yang’s double. Liu Ying’s unexpected semi-final run. Ten countries on the entry list. A RM66,000 prize pool. Malaysian pickleball does not need to make the case for itself any more. The results do it for them.
