Tardio's Asian Tour: Double Gold at the Kuala Lumpur Cup, Sept 9–13, 2026
Fresh off a national title in North Carolina, World No. 2 Gabe Tardio landed in Malaysia and left with two golds on his Asian debut — the opening stop of a swing that also takes him to Singapore and the Philippines this month.
The Arrival
Gabe Tardio didn't have much time to unpack. Days after taking men's doubles gold with Ben Johns at the Veolia Pickleball National Championships in North Carolina, the 20-year-old Bolivian was on a plane to Malaysia, headlining the PPA Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup — the first stop of what's being called his EliteX Era Asia Tour, run in partnership with paddle sponsor Facolos.3
It was new ground. Tardio, ranked World No. 2 in men's doubles, had never competed in Malaysia before, and he arrived as the headline act in a field that also featured Major League Pickleball champion Noe Khlif making his own Asia debut, top women's singles seed Kaitlyn Christian, and a deep field of Malaysian and regional talent at The Hood in Kuala Lumpur.56
Malaysian Debut, Two Different Partners
Tardio split his week between two draws. In men's doubles, he teamed with Khlif — the two had been on opposite sides of the net just weeks earlier in the MLP Finals in New York. In mixed doubles, he reunited with Jessie Irvine for their first tournament together since 2025.2
Both pairings went the distance. Tardio and Khlif dropped their opening game before rattling off three straight wins to reach the final. Irvine and Tardio were even sharper through the early rounds, but their mixed doubles final turned into the tournament's signature moment — a comeback from a 2-7 hole in the deciding game.1
In His Own Words
"It's pretty special to be here with Jessie and win with her."— Gabe Tardio, on reuniting with Jessie Irvine for the mixed doubles title
"Since I was very little, Singapore has been on my bucket list."— Gabe Tardio, on the next stop of his Asia swing
Between matches, Tardio also talked up what the trip means beyond the scoreboard — telling local media he's long wanted to compete outside the U.S. and experience pickleball's growing fan bases across Asia firsthand.3
The Numbers: Men's Doubles
Tardio/Khlif · PPA Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup 20262
| Date | Opponents | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10 | Park Seong Yong / Syed Uzair Sufi | 3-11, 11-5, 11-1 | W |
| Sep 11 | Luc Pham / George Wall | 11-5, 13-11 | W |
| Sep 12 | Clayton Powell / Armaan Bhatia | 11-4, 11-2 | W |
| Sep 13 | Augustus Ge / Len Yang (Final) | 11-9, 11-4 | GOLD🥇 |
The Numbers: Mixed Doubles
Irvine/Tardio · PPA Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup 20262
| Date | Opponents | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | Tom Protzek / Ella Yeh | 11-4, 11-4 | W |
| Sep 11 | Luc Pham / Lingwei Kong | 11-3, 11-3 | W |
| Sep 12 | Armaan Bhatia / Chao Yi Wang | 11-6, 11-9 | W |
| Sep 13 | Joey Wild / Danni-Elle Townsend (Final) | 5-11, 11-3, 12-10 | GOLD🥇 |
The Comeback
Down 2-7 in the deciding game of the mixed doubles final, Irvine and Tardio reeled off ten of the next thirteen points to beat Townsend/Wild 12-10 — the tournament's most dramatic stretch of pickleball, capping a first tournament back together for the pair since 2025.1
Match Point: What's Next
Kuala Lumpur was only the first stop. Tardio's EliteX Era Asia Tour, backed by Facolos, continued on to Singapore and the Philippines — a stretch built less around brackets and more around building the sport's footprint on the ground.3
It's Tardio's second Asia swing of 2026. He first competed on the continent in April at the MB Hanoi Cup in Vietnam, winning men's doubles gold alongside Ben Johns. The broader PPA Tour Asia calendar rolls on too, with the tour's next cup-level stop set for the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, Oct 19–25 at Kai Tak Arena.4
Beyond the Baseline: Clinics & the EliteX Rollout
From Kuala Lumpur, Tardio flew to Singapore for his first-ever visit to the city-state, running a slate of clinics from Sept 16–18 to promote Facolos' new EliteX V2.0 Tardio Signature paddle — his first signature model with the brand.9 The centerpiece was a public clinic on Sept 18 at The Sports Arina @ EXPO, with The Straits Times running a fan contest for a VIP spot alongside him.8
His coaching leaned less on mechanics and more on court IQ. He told attendees that climbing from a 3.0 to a 5.0 DUPR rating is mostly about physical fundamentals — wrist and shoulder strength, footwork, flick-shot control — but breaking past 5.0 demands something else: reading patterns and spotting an opponent's weaknesses in real time.9
"A lot of clinics just show you how to hit the ball."— Gabe Tardio, on what he wanted his Singapore clinics to cover instead
The tour's final stop landed in Manila on Sept 20, where the EliteX Era Asia Tour touched down at Opus Mall in Pasig City's Capitol Commons, brought to the Philippines by Supreme Legacy Sports–Facolos Philippines alongside 2XU Philippines and Source Masters, Inc. The event's centerpiece, "The Signed 10," gave fans an exclusive meet-and-greet with Tardio personally autographing ten Facolos paddles, paired with a 2XU performance-apparel showcase and a preview of clinics and play sessions set for TELA Pickleball in Las Piñas.10
Sources
1. Pickleball.com — "Kuala Lumpur Cup Recap: Irvine, Tardio earn double gold as Khlif captures first PPA Asia title"
2. Pickleball.com — Gabriel Tardio player profile & match results
3. Pickleball.com — "Gabe Tardio visiting Asia for competition and coaching clinics"
4. New Straits Times — "Tardio, Irvine claim double gold at PPA Asia 1000 KL Cup"
5. Pickleball.com — "Star-studded field headlines PPA Tour Asia's Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup"
6. New Straits Times — "Gabriel Tardio set to make appearance at KL Cup 2026"
7. Red Hot Singapore — "World No. 2 pickleball player Gabriel Tardio excited for 'bucket list' trip to Singapore"
8. Red Hot Singapore — "Win a pass to a pickleball clinic with world No. 2 Gabriel Tardio in Singapore"
9. The Straits Times (via HeadTopics) — "Tips to play pickleball well: World No. 2 Gabriel Tardio's advice for every level"
10. Hataw Tabloid — "Gabe Tardio, nagpakilala sa Opus Mall"