The Report
Tardio survives Kuala Lumpur scare as D-Joy sets its singles finals
Good morning, pickleballers.
Gabriel Tardio and Noe Khlif arrived in Kuala Lumpur as the men’s doubles partnership everyone else was supposed to worry about. Ten points into their PPA Tour Asia debut, they were the ones in trouble.
We also have four singles finalists confirmed at D-Joy in Ho Chi Minh City, while today’s magazine spotlight looks backwards as well as forwards, with the Pickleball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 showing why a young sport needs to preserve its history while it is still being made.
Gabriel Tardio and Noe Khlif were 10-0 down in the opening game against Pengsu Yong and Malaysia’s Syed Uzair Sufi, one point away from being pickled on their PPA Tour Asia debut.
They lost the game 11-3, then recovered to take the next two 11-5, 11-1. Elsewhere, Nok Yiu Tang and Yufei Long removed fourth seeds Kaitlyn Christian and Allyce Jones, while Malaysia’s Jimmy Liong Kai Long survived into the men’s singles last 16.
Most of the favourites are still standing. Thursday simply made them look considerably less comfortable.
Read the Kuala Lumpur roundupCamron and Palm set the final as Trang Huynh keeps Vietnam in the fight
Ronan Camron ended Mikar Fisher’s impressive run 11-6, 11-2, while Drake Palm conceded only two points in an 11-1, 11-1 demolition of Richard Livornese Jr.
Vietnam will have a player in the women’s singles final after Trang Huynh beat Pei Chuan Kao 11-1, 11-6. She will meet World Cup champion Katerina Stewart, who came through a three-game semi-final against Bobbi Oshiro.
Mixed doubles now brings several of those same players straight back onto court, including Camron and Stewart together and Huynh alongside Patrick Brian Kawka.
Read the D-Joy roundupToday’s champions are tomorrow’s history
Pickleball is young enough that many of the people who built the modern game are still standing beside the players benefiting from their work.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2026 brings those two sides of the sport together. Matt Wright, Lucy Kovalova and Dave Weinbach helped establish what elite pickleball could look like, while Linda and Lynn Laymon and Byron Freso helped build the officiating and organisational structure needed to make serious competition work.
Our September feature looks beyond a list of inductees and asks why preserving pickleball’s history matters while the sport is still moving fast enough to forget it.
Read the Hall of Fame featureTwo more stories from Issue #20
We are rotating through the new magazine throughout the week. Today, two very different pieces about what pickleball still needs to build and what players often overlook.
Pickleball Has Millions of Players. It Is Still Trying to Build Stars.
Professional pickleball has tours, contracts and sponsors, yet many recreational players could not name five people who earn their living from the sport. Peak Pickleball founder Shane Dunn explains why the missing connection may sit inside the clubs, coaches and local communities players already trust.
When sweat changes the way a paddle feels in the hand, players often squeeze harder and lose the relaxed grip their touch depends on. This feature looks at one of the smallest details in pickleball and the chain reaction it can create.
Download the complete September magazine
The website lets you read each article separately. The PDF gives you the magazine as it was designed, with every feature, image and page in one complete edition.
Issue #20 is free to download. Save it to your phone, tablet or computer and read it whenever you have time.
Download the free September PDFOpen the September issue page and select “Download Magazine”.
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