Panas Malaysia Cup 2025: Kaitlyn Christian, Christian Alshon, Ben Johns Lead Gold Medal Winners in Superb Championship Sunday
The Panas Malaysia Cup 2025 got a fitting conclusion on Sunday with topnotch pickleball played by the world’s best pros. The favourites, like Christian Alshon, Kaitlyn Christian, and Ben Johns, expectedly took home gold medals but not without earning it as Asia’s best showed out as well.
Here is our recap of all the action in Day 3 of the Panas Malaysia Cup:
Kaitlyn Christian Nabs Gold in Women’s Singles
Christian started Championship Sunday off by winning the afternoon’s first gold medal with a 2-0 (11-4, 11-4) rout of Australia’s Roos Van Reek. The Australian actually went ahead 4-2 early in the first game, but three straight unforced errors appeared to take the air out of her as she gave up the lead, 5-4, and ultimately struggled the rest of the way.
Andie Dikosavljevic took home bronze with a 2-0 (11-6, 11-7) sweep of Chao Yi Wang.
Kaitlyn Christian, Chao Yi Wang Net Gold in Women’s Doubles
Later in the afternoon, Christian and Wang completed their championship run in Women’s Doubles with a tight 2-0 (11-6, 14-12) victory over the Australian pair of Nicola Schoeman and Danni-Elle Townsend. The duo from Down Under gave all they had in the second game, engaging Christian and Wang in a thrilling tit-for-tat that showed why pickleball is such an exciting sport.
Aiko Yoshitomi and Sahra Dennehy copped bronze with a 2-0 (11-6, 11-7) victory over Yu Chieh-Hsieh and Liz Truluck.
Christian Alshon Overcomes Jack Wong Hong-kit for Men’s Singles Gold
Alshon took gold in Men’s Singles with a hard-fought 2-0 (11-9, 11-5) victory over Hong Kong’s Jack Wong Hong-kit, who duked it out with one of the world’s top pros in a riveting war of attrition in the first game. But Hong-kit faltered late as Alshon seemed to get better, ultimately finishing the job with a near-flawless second game.
Hoang Nam Ly earned bronze in Men’s Singles after beating compatriot Hien Truong, 2-0 (11-4, 11-7), in an all-Vietnam battle for third.
Tyson McGuffin, Eric Oncins Stun Christian, Ben Johns for Men’s Doubles Gold
Unlike Christian, however, Alshon couldn’t add the Men’s Doubles gold to his hardware collection as he and Johns lost 2-1 (11-3, 15-13, 11-9) to Tyson McGuffin and Eric Oncins in a thriller of a Final. This gold-medal match had it all—spectacular shot-making, dizzying exchanges, thrilling twists and turns, and high drama—and was a fitting display of what top-tier pickleball is all about.
The duo of Zane Navratil and Armaan Bhatia capped off their week with a bronze medal, edging out the pair of Hong-kit and Kim Eunggwon.
Ben Johns, Anna Bright Dismantle Christian, Alshon for Mixed Doubles Supremacy
The final gold-medal match of Championship Sunday was highly anticipated for its star power. However, the outcome didn’t match the hype as the power duo of Ben Johns and Anna Bright jumped all over the pair of Alshon and Christian, 2-0 (11-2, 11-3) in a dominant display of talent, shotmaking, and precise play.
Johns and Bright set the tone early, racing out to an 8-0 lead in the first game and never letting Christian and Alshon get into any sort of rhythm. The second game was more of the same, with the former starting off 6-2 and keeping their opponents at bay the rest of the way for a dominant gold-clinching victory to cap off a wonderful tournament.
Alix Truong and Jonathan Truong finished their tournament with the bronze medal, besting Dennehy and Santosh Narayanan, 2-1 (2-11, 11-5, 11-3), the battle for third.
