The AmBank Malaysia Pickleball Championship concluded on a high note after three days of competition.
The championship at Playa Racquet Club@Parc Subang brought together players across the Novice, Intermediate and Open divisions, competing for a total prize pool of RM66,000.
Participation of several high-profile sports personalities added to the championship’s appeal.
Among them were Rio Olympics badminton mixed doubles silver medallists Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, former national hockey captain and legend Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi, golfing brothers Low Khai Loon and Low Khai Jei, former national tennis players Assri Merzuki, Khoo Er Yang and Ashaari Zainal Abidin as well as former national squash player and former Asian Under-13 champion Ooi Kah Yan.
The event also attracted entertainment personality Datuk AC Mizal.
Ten countries – Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and Dominica – took part in the event.
The championship culminated with the crowning of its Men’s Doubles Open 19+, Women’s Doubles Open 19+ and Mixed Doubles Open 19+ champions.
Khoo emerged as one of the standout performers of the weekend after capturing both the Men’s Doubles Open 19+ and Mixed Doubles Open 19+ titles.
Partnering Farreez Isqandar in the Men’s Doubles Open 19+, Khoo defeated Julian Lee Chi Shen and Alexander Tran 11-6, 11-8 in the final to secure the title and RM4,200 winners’ cheque.
“I’m happy because I’ve had a lot of fourth-place finishes and semi-final exits in previous tournaments,” said Khoo.
“The standard has improved a lot and this is definitely one of the better organised tournaments I’ve played in.”
The Women’s Doubles Open 19+ crown went to Nesya Tan and Natnicha, who defeated Kong Li-Ann and Joey Cheng 11-1, 11-4 in the match.
One of the category’s biggest attractions was the pairing of Goh and Ooi, who enjoyed an impressive run to the semi-finals before eventually finishing fourth after the third-place playoff.
“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,” said Goh.
Khoo’s successful weekend continued in the Mixed Doubles Open 19+ when he teamed up with Wong Joe Yan to defeat Benjamin Ngoi Ming De and Choong Kai Le 11-6, 11-4 in the final, completing a memorable double at the championship.
Organised by Score Sports Management and sponsored by AmBank Group, the championship also incorporated sustainability initiatives with Natureloop, with trophies produced using recycled plastic and repurposed timber.
