Noé Khlif Wins Gold and Silver at PPA Tour Asia Malaysia 2026
NOÉ KHLIF CONFIRMS HIS GREAT FORM WITH GOLD AND SILVER IN MALAYSIA
The MLP champion carried his remarkable 2026 all the way to Kuala Lumpur, winning the PPA gold medal he had been chasing for two years alongside Gabriel Tardio and adding a silver medal in singles.
Noé Khlif is having one of those years a player would probably like to hold onto for a long time.
Just a few weeks after celebrating a Major League Pickleball championship in New York with the New Jersey 5s, the Frenchman traveled halfway around the world to Kuala Lumpur and returned with two more medals: gold in men's doubles alongside Gabriel Tardio and silver in men's singles at the PPA Tour Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup.
The funny thing is that Noé wasn't even planning to be there.
His calendar was already packed. Traveling to Malaysia meant adding another tournament, another very long flight and, perhaps more importantly, another week away from Jen and their children.
Then Gabriel Tardio asked him to make the trip.
Noé said yes.
After the tournament, he publicly thanked Gabe for asking him to come. He hadn't planned on adding another event to his schedule, he wrote, but he couldn't say no.
Looking at how the week ended, he'll probably be glad he made that decision for a long time.
Because in Malaysia, Khlif finally found something he had been chasing for two years on the PPA Tour: gold.
And there's something particularly fitting about winning it alongside Tardio.
At the end of August, the two were in New York standing on opposite sides of the court. Noé was representing the New Jersey 5s, while Tardio was trying to keep them from winning the MLP championship.
A few weeks later, they traded the rivalry for the same side of the court and arrived in Kuala Lumpur as the top seeds in men's doubles.
Their road to gold, however, almost took a very different turn.
Against Pengsu Yong and Syed Uzair Sufi, Khlif and Tardio found themselves trailing 10–0 in the opening game.
One point away from being pickled.
They avoided that fate, although they eventually dropped the game 11–3. From there, the match changed completely. Khlif and Tardio took the next two games 11–5 and 11–1, surviving an early scare that could easily have changed the course of their tournament.
Instead, they kept going.
In the men's doubles final, they faced Augustus “Augie” Ge and Len Yang. This time there was no dramatic comeback required. Khlif and Tardio won 11–9, 11–4 and the gold medal was theirs.
For Noé, it wasn't just another medal.
He described it afterward as the gold he had been chasing for two years on the PPA Tour.
That gives the moment a different weight.
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Two years of trying, a demanding season and a tournament that wasn't even on his calendar until shortly before the trip.
He went.
He played.
And this time, he left as champion.
But Noé's work in Malaysia wasn't finished.
He also put together an impressive run in men's singles, defeating Jose Maria Pague 11–3, 11–1, then Luc Pham 11–9, 11–8, before beating Harrison Brown 11–7, 11–0 in the semifinals.
Three victories put him back on Championship Sunday, this time across the net from Tama Shimabukuro.
The 15-year-old won the final 11–8, 11–5, leaving Khlif with silver.
There would be no double gold, but two finals and two medals in his first competitive experience in Asia made for quite a trip.
And when you look at what has happened over the past few months, Malaysia doesn't feel like an isolated result.
Khlif is coming off the Major League Pickleball championship with the New Jersey 5s and has continued producing results on the PPA stage. He summed up his season himself after Kuala Lumpur: an MLP title, one gold, one silver and one bronze in PPA competition in 2026.
There are results, consistency and plenty of confidence in his game right now.
But perhaps the most interesting part of what Noé shared after Kuala Lumpur had little to do with medals.
He talked about the people.
He talked about Malaysia.
And he talked about what it felt like to travel to the other side of the world and see just how much pickleball is growing there.
The trip exceeded his expectations, he said. He spoke warmly about the people he met in Malaysia and about experiencing firsthand the growth of the sport so far from the United States.
For those who have been watching pickleball's international expansion, there's something special about that picture.
The countries change. The languages change. The cultures change. Then you find a court, hear that familiar plastic ball, and suddenly the distance doesn't feel quite as large.
Noé traveled to Malaysia to compete and came home having experienced another part of the pickleball world.
There was also someone experiencing this trip from much farther away.
In his post after the tournament, Noé saved some particularly personal words for his wife, Jen. He thanked her for once again holding things down at home while he competed and acknowledged what another tournament meant: another week away from her and the kids.
“This one is for our family too.”
That's the part of professional sports that rarely makes the podium photo.
To compete on the other side of the world, somebody has to pack a bag, say goodbye again, spend hours on an airplane and miss several days of ordinary family life.
And back home, somebody has to keep that ordinary life moving.
Maybe that's why some medals weigh a little more than others.
The one from Malaysia probably will.
Noé Khlif almost didn't make the trip. He ended up reaching two finals, returning with gold and silver, seeing another side of the global pickleball community and finally capturing the PPA gold medal he says he had been chasing for two years.
Not bad for a tournament that wasn't originally on the calendar.
Now it's time to go home, hug Jen and the kids and put the medals somewhere safe.
Although the suitcase probably won't stay closed for very long.
PPA Mesa is next.
Noé ended his message with a simple:
“Stay tuned.”
We will.
Because if his 2026 has shown us anything so far, there may still be plenty more to come.
See you in the next story.
DINK Authority — The Voice of Pickleball™
NOÉ KHLIF CONFIRMS HIS GREAT FORM WITH GOLD AND SILVER IN MALAYSIA
The MLP champion carried his remarkable 2026 all the way to Kuala Lumpur, winning the PPA gold medal he had been chasing for two years alongside Gabriel Tardio and adding a silver medal in singles.
Noé Khlif is having one of those years a player would probably like to hold onto for a long time.
Just a few weeks after celebrating a Major League Pickleball championship in New York with the New Jersey 5s, the Frenchman traveled halfway around the world to Kuala Lumpur and returned with two more medals: gold in men's doubles alongside Gabriel Tardio and silver in men's singles at the PPA Tour Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup.
The funny thing is that Noé wasn't even planning to be there.
His calendar was already packed. Traveling to Malaysia meant adding another tournament, another very long flight and, perhaps more importantly, another week away from Jen and their children.
Then Gabriel Tardio asked him to make the trip.
Noé said yes.
After the tournament, he publicly thanked Gabe for asking him to come. He hadn't planned on adding another event to his schedule, he wrote, but he couldn't say no.
Looking at how the week ended, he'll probably be glad he made that decision for a long time.
Because in Malaysia, Khlif finally found something he had been chasing for two years on the PPA Tour: gold.
And there's something particularly fitting about winning it alongside Tardio.
At the end of August, the two were in New York standing on opposite sides of the court. Noé was representing the New Jersey 5s, while Tardio was trying to keep them from winning the MLP championship.
A few weeks later, they traded the rivalry for the same side of the court and arrived in Kuala Lumpur as the top seeds in men's doubles.
Their road to gold, however, almost took a very different turn.
Against Pengsu Yong and Syed Uzair Sufi, Khlif and Tardio found themselves trailing 10–0 in the opening game.
One point away from being pickled.
They avoided that fate, although they eventually dropped the game 11–3. From there, the match changed completely. Khlif and Tardio took the next two games 11–5 and 11–1, surviving an early scare that could easily have changed the course of their tournament.
Instead, they kept going.
In the men's doubles final, they faced Augustus “Augie” Ge and Len Yang. This time there was no dramatic comeback required. Khlif and Tardio won 11–9, 11–4 and the gold medal was theirs.
For Noé, it wasn't just another medal.
He described it afterward as the gold he had been chasing for two years on the PPA Tour.
That gives the moment a different weight.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Two years of trying, a demanding season and a tournament that wasn't even on his calendar until shortly before the trip.
He went.
He played.
And this time, he left as champion.
But Noé's work in Malaysia wasn't finished.
He also put together an impressive run in men's singles, defeating Jose Maria Pague 11–3, 11–1, then Luc Pham 11–9, 11–8, before beating Harrison Brown 11–7, 11–0 in the semifinals.
Three victories put him back on Championship Sunday, this time across the net from Tama Shimabukuro.
The 15-year-old won the final 11–8, 11–5, leaving Khlif with silver.
There would be no double gold, but two finals and two medals in his first competitive experience in Asia made for quite a trip.
And when you look at what has happened over the past few months, Malaysia doesn't feel like an isolated result.
Khlif is coming off the Major League Pickleball championship with the New Jersey 5s and has continued producing results on the PPA stage. He summed up his season himself after Kuala Lumpur: an MLP title, one gold, one silver and one bronze in PPA competition in 2026.
There are results, consistency and plenty of confidence in his game right now.
But perhaps the most interesting part of what Noé shared after Kuala Lumpur had little to do with medals.
He talked about the people.
He talked about Malaysia.
And he talked about what it felt like to travel to the other side of the world and see just how much pickleball is growing there.
The trip exceeded his expectations, he said. He spoke warmly about the people he met in Malaysia and about experiencing firsthand the growth of the sport so far from the United States.
For those who have been watching pickleball's international expansion, there's something special about that picture.
The countries change. The languages change. The cultures change. Then you find a court, hear that familiar plastic ball, and suddenly the distance doesn't feel quite as large.
Noé traveled to Malaysia to compete and came home having experienced another part of the pickleball world.
There was also someone experiencing this trip from much farther away.
In his post after the tournament, Noé saved some particularly personal words for his wife, Jen. He thanked her for once again holding things down at home while he competed and acknowledged what another tournament meant: another week away from her and the kids.
“This one is for our family too.”
That's the part of professional sports that rarely makes the podium photo.
To compete on the other side of the world, somebody has to pack a bag, say goodbye again, spend hours on an airplane and miss several days of ordinary family life.
And back home, somebody has to keep that ordinary life moving.
Maybe that's why some medals weigh a little more than others.
The one from Malaysia probably will.
Noé Khlif almost didn't make the trip. He ended up reaching two finals, returning with gold and silver, seeing another side of the global pickleball community and finally capturing the PPA gold medal he says he had been chasing for two years.
Not bad for a tournament that wasn't originally on the calendar.
Now it's time to go home, hug Jen and the kids and put the medals somewhere safe.
Although the suitcase probably won't stay closed for very long.
PPA Mesa is next.
Noé ended his message with a simple:
“Stay tuned.”
We will.
Because if his 2026 has shown us anything so far, there may still be plenty more to come.
See you in the next story.
DINK Authority — The Voice of Pickleball™
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