Roos van Reek Crowns Herself Three Times in Penang: The Triple Crown That Closed Out a Historic Tournament
Some weekends are remembered for one champion. And some are remembered because a single player decided one title wasn't enough. Roos van Reek chose the second option. This Sunday, on Championship Court at Pickle By The Sea, the Dutch player was crowned champion in all three categories she entered — Women's Singles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles — closing out the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open 2026 with the most dominant performance of the entire tournament.
The Triple Crown, category by category
In Women's Singles, van Reek beat Yu-Chieh Hsieh for gold, with Selina Turulja taking bronze. In Women's Doubles, she paired with Vivian Glozman to defeat Domenika Turkovic and Shelby Bates in the final, with Allison Harris and Amanda Hendry rounding out the podium. And in Mixed Doubles, the title came alongside Jack Munro, beating none other than Quang Duong and Amanda Hendry in the final, with Purple Jesus Manthou and Shelby Bates closing out the bronze medal spot.
Three finals. Three crowns. No other player in the tournament can say the same — and the APP Asia Tour recognized it immediately, dedicating an official post with the message "TRIPLE CROWN" that's already circulating across the region's pickleball community. The APP Asia account summed it up plainly: "We love you forever."
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The other big storyline: Quang Duong, with two titles of his own
While van Reek's story stole the night, Quang Duong had a nearly equally dominant weekend. The Vietnamese star was crowned champion in Men's Singles, beating Phoenix He, and repeated as champion in Men's Doubles alongside Harsh Mehta, defeating Jack Munro and Aidan Schenk in the final. His one thorn was that very Mixed Doubles final, where he fell to van Reek herself.
Duong didn't hold back reflecting on the final that continues to elude him. "I still haven't won that elusive mixed doubles after 1,000 tries?" he wrote on social media after the tournament. "To be honest mixed doubles taxing a lot on the body I think even more than singles." As for the overall experience in Malaysia, he had nothing but praise: "Thank you Penang. As always Malaysian always are the sweatest friendliest people. The food in Penang is great."
A tournament that exceeded every expectation
Beyond the results, the Penang Open closed out as one of the biggest events in APP Asia Tour history: more than 1,200 registered players — a number that exceeded even the organizers' own projections — five days of uninterrupted competition, and a venue, Pickle By The Sea, that rose to the occasion of an event this size.
The broadcast was also a resounding success. With live coverage available on Tonton within Malaysia, and on APPTV, Selkirk TV, and YouTube for the rest of the world, the tournament delivered every final — including van Reek's triple triumph — to audiences around the globe in real time, reinforcing the production push APP has been building since announcing Malaysia as its new permanent home base in Asia.
What Penang leaves behind
This tournament will no doubt be remembered as the event that cemented Malaysia as the new epicenter of Asian pickleball. But it will also live on as the weekend of Roos van Reek — the player who entered three finals and left with three gold medals, in the perfect close to what's already shaping up to be one of the most memorable editions in APP Asia Tour history.
Some weekends are remembered for one champion. And some are remembered because a single player decided one title wasn't enough. Roos van Reek chose the second option. This Sunday, on Championship Court at Pickle By The Sea, the Dutch player was crowned champion in all three categories she entered — Women's Singles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles — closing out the Leapmotor APP Asia Penang Open 2026 with the most dominant performance of the entire tournament.
The Triple Crown, category by category
In Women's Singles, van Reek beat Yu-Chieh Hsieh for gold, with Selina Turulja taking bronze. In Women's Doubles, she paired with Vivian Glozman to defeat Domenika Turkovic and Shelby Bates in the final, with Allison Harris and Amanda Hendry rounding out the podium. And in Mixed Doubles, the title came alongside Jack Munro, beating none other than Quang Duong and Amanda Hendry in the final, with Purple Jesus Manthou and Shelby Bates closing out the bronze medal spot.
Three finals. Three crowns. No other player in the tournament can say the same — and the APP Asia Tour recognized it immediately, dedicating an official post with the message "TRIPLE CROWN" that's already circulating across the region's pickleball community. The APP Asia account summed it up plainly: "We love you forever."
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
The other big storyline: Quang Duong, with two titles of his own
While van Reek's story stole the night, Quang Duong had a nearly equally dominant weekend. The Vietnamese star was crowned champion in Men's Singles, beating Phoenix He, and repeated as champion in Men's Doubles alongside Harsh Mehta, defeating Jack Munro and Aidan Schenk in the final. His one thorn was that very Mixed Doubles final, where he fell to van Reek herself.
Duong didn't hold back reflecting on the final that continues to elude him. "I still haven't won that elusive mixed doubles after 1,000 tries?" he wrote on social media after the tournament. "To be honest mixed doubles taxing a lot on the body I think even more than singles." As for the overall experience in Malaysia, he had nothing but praise: "Thank you Penang. As always Malaysian always are the sweatest friendliest people. The food in Penang is great."
A tournament that exceeded every expectation
Beyond the results, the Penang Open closed out as one of the biggest events in APP Asia Tour history: more than 1,200 registered players — a number that exceeded even the organizers' own projections — five days of uninterrupted competition, and a venue, Pickle By The Sea, that rose to the occasion of an event this size.
The broadcast was also a resounding success. With live coverage available on Tonton within Malaysia, and on APPTV, Selkirk TV, and YouTube for the rest of the world, the tournament delivered every final — including van Reek's triple triumph — to audiences around the globe in real time, reinforcing the production push APP has been building since announcing Malaysia as its new permanent home base in Asia.
What Penang leaves behind
This tournament will no doubt be remembered as the event that cemented Malaysia as the new epicenter of Asian pickleball. But it will also live on as the weekend of Roos van Reek — the player who entered three finals and left with three gold medals, in the perfect close to what's already shaping up to be one of the most memorable editions in APP Asia Tour history.
