Ascaro Padel & Social Club hosted the latest edition of the 2025 APPT season, as the Tour made another wonderfully successful trip to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The event was sold out in the Amateur categories over 1 month before the event began, and
Pro categories were not far behind, with every category ending up with a long waiting list for teams hoping to join the latest Asian Padel carnival.
Ascaro was a stunning venue, 4 courts located on a rooftop with breathtaking views over the city and although a brief rain-storm interrupted the play, the weekend was dominated by beautiful blue skies, stunning sunrises, amazing sunsets and phenomenal padel.
132 teams entered the 6 usual categories and showed that Kuala Lumpur is a must visit city for the APPT for now and the foreseeable future. Play began at 7am on Friday morning with Pro qualifying for Male, Mixed Pro and Pro Female and the day was jam-packed full of drama from that moment on.
Pro Male
The Pro Male category was an absolute joy from the word go. Special mentions must go to local Malaysian team Wee Ming Hock and Joey Chua Tiong Hoey and also the Armenia/Spanish duo of Aram Kocharyan and David Perez fighting through 2 qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, along with last minute entrants Aidan Yunus and Jorge Chacon, beating a strong Japanese team to also qualify.
The main draw began Saturday and as expected, the seeded teams showed their quality. Perez & Kocharyan caused an upset to reach the quarter finals, but fell to the number 1 seeds, Pol Alsina and Edu Altimires who were showing great form in the early rounds.
On the opposite side of the draw, no.2 seeds Marc Bernils and Sergi Nogueras looked imperious, and determined to add a 5th APPT title to their collection.
Both semi finals were relatively straight-forward, which meant the no.1 and 2 seeds faced off in a final which was the grand-finale of the tournament. APPT No.1 Alsina looking to win his 8th APPT event, and Altimires his 5th and claim their second KL title after winning in the Joy Division Club November 2024.
The final was a brutal display of power, mixed with exquisite touch and technique. Alsina and Altimires had a shaky start with some uncharacteristic errors and Bernils/Nogueras seized the initiative, clinching the first set 6-2. The combination of the outstanding defence of Nogueras and the bold power of Bernils was at times unplayable – Bernils hitting multiple por-tres from well behind the service line to the delight of an expectant crowd.
This really was another level of performance from what the APPT has seen before, and the second set , although tighter, was a convincing display for the no.2 seeds, Bernils and Nogueras taking it 6-3 to clinch the title.
Pro Female
The Pro Female category showed the amazing talent of ladies padel which exists in the Asia Pacific region with some unforgettable matches.
In the Quarter Finals, there was an epic between Filipino pair Joanna Tao Yee Tan and Mariam Garsin against Malaysian Elysia Wan & Japanese Chifumi Sato. After almost 2 hours of playtime, the no.2 seeds Joanna and Mariam clinched a break in the deciding state and pushed on to win. They then sailed through the semi final to book their place in the final as they looked to win their first title as a pair.
In the other semi final, no.1 seeds Kotomi Ozawa and Eli Nogueras secured the other spot in the final with a straight-sets victory over the Thai/Russian pairing of Ji Vichitong and Irina Chernaya. But this was far from a straightforward victory.
The first set was decided with only one break, and after breaking again in the second, Ozawa/Nogueras looked to be cruising to victory. However, Vichitong and Chernaya launched an amazing fightback, forcing a tie-break and saved 9 match points against them, but also missing 3 set points of their own. A huge crowd were on the edge of their seats, living every emotion with the 4 amazing players. In the end, it was Ozawa and Nogueras who breathed huge sighs of relief and eventually clinched victory.
The final was a rematch of Manila where Ozawa/Nogueras came out on top on convincing fashion. The first set here looked to be more of the same with the Japanese/Catalunian combo taking it 6-0. However, after some wise words from their coach, Joanna and Mariam started to play their best padel, and after being a break down, launched a fightback of their own, much like Vichitong/Chernaya did earlier in the day.
It came to a 2nd set tie-break once again, but this time, Ozawa/Nogueras showed no signs of nerves and were almost faultless and sealed victory. This was Kotomi Ozawas 4th APPT victory, and Eli Nogueras’ 3rd, which sees Kotomi extend her lead at no.1 in the female rankings, and Eli climb closer to overcoming Joanna in 2nd.
We cant wait to see these ladies battle again in the future – perhaps even in Bali in the next APPT event.
Pro Mix
In the Pro Mix, it was much better news for Joanna Tao Yee Tan who clinched her first title with partner LA Canizares. The Filipino pair did what some thought impossible, beating the previously invincible mixed pair of Chernaya and Tim Brown of Australia in three sets in the final, and Chernaya/Brown had won the three previous tournaments they had entered together. But not a time for them to be sad, a time for all 4 players to celebrate – Joanna/LA their first title, and Tim/Irina, a magnificent run of results.
Amateur Categories
The ability in the amateurs continues to rise quickly, with some amazing players and teams showcasing their skills.
Friday evening was entirely amateur matches and the local crowds were the noisiest of the weekend, cheering on their friends and other players who had traveled far.
A particularly entertaining match was between the Indian pair Patel/Nathvani who beat the Spanish pair based in KL, Montero/Lopez. Although only 2 sets, this epic lasted almost 2 hours with almost every point taking away the breath of the players and the spectators, before Patel/Nathvani eventually came out on top to spark wonderful celebrations and huge applause from all who watched and enjoyed.
For the amateur mens, it was a Russian pair who came out on top. Artemii Besedin has been an almost ever-present on the APPT tour and it was now his time to top the podium with his compatriot Nikita Filatov. A great combo and a well-deserved victory.
In the amateur female, Catalina Isaza Brockland & Luciana Ingaramo clinched victory – Ingaramo proving herself to be queen of the APPT amateur female, clinching her third title of the year after success in Phuket and Manila. A special mention also for teenage Russian pair Kira Ivanushkina & Elisabeth Chernyshova who pushed the winners to the limit in the semi-final, but at only 14 years old, time is on their side and there will be better results to come for them in the future.
Finally in the mixed amateur, Catalina Isaza Brockland clinched her second title of the weekend, this time with Martin Torres Coggiola, in a category filled with fun and talent as always.
The final mention has to go once more to Ascaro and their team who were simply wonderful hosts and provided an amazing venue and experience which brought smiles to the faces of all fans and players alike.
Until next time Kuala Lumpur, and onwards to Bali in May.
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