KWON STUNS THREE-TIME CHAMPION LONG IN QUARTERFINAL UPSET
| May 15, 2026
Mihae Kwon had never been past the round of 16 in Women’s Singles on PPA Tour Asia. On Day 3 at the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open 2026, she broke through in a big way, taking down three-time champion and #3 seed Yufei Long 8-11, 11-8, 11-9 in the quarterfinals.
Long took the opener 11-8. She looked in control. But Kwon found an extra gear. The underdog upped the pace on her attacks, out-powering Long at the baseline to level it 11-8 in game two. By the decider it all came down to who had the most fuel in the tank, and it was Kwon. Her compact and balanced movement left her with the extra energy to get over the finish line 11-9 and end the Chinese star’s title bid.
The numbers tell the story of the upset. Long came into Kuala Lumpur with three Women’s Singles golds. Five Women’s Singles medals across the inaugural season. The most decorated singles player on the circuit.
Meanwhile, Kwon had none. Her previous best Women’s Singles result on tour was the round of 16. She hit that ceiling three times in 2025: a three-game loss to Ting Chieh Wei at the Panas Malaysia Open, a straight-sets exit to Yu-chieh Hsieh at the Hong Kong Open, and a straight-games loss to Kaitlyn Christian at the Panaas Malaysia Cup. Always the round of 16. Never further.
Until today.
FOLLOW TOURNAMENT ACTION
What makes this story richer is that these two have a history on the court. At the Panas Malaysia Open 2025, Kwon and Long were doubles partners, pairing up and taking the silver medal together. Less than a year later, Kwon just knocked her former partner out of the singles draw.
Waiting for Kwon in the semifinal is qualifier Pei-Chuan Kao. With seeds eliminated in the bottom half, the bracket is wide open for a fairytale to be made.
Hatakeyama can’t stop, won’t stop
On the men’s side, Nasa Hatakeyama continued his remarkable run through the draw. The Japanese qualifier beat #7 seed Zane Navratil 11-8, 11-7 in the Men’s Singles quarterfinals. Straight games. No drama.
Hatakeyama stormed through qualifying on Day 1, knocked off #2 seed Hong Kit Wong in three on Day 2, and now has another seed on his resume. From the qualifiers to the semifinals without dropping a beat. Standing between Hatakeyama and the final is American teenager Wil Shaffer who has also not let his lack of seed stop him from a semifinal run.
Hien Truong rolls through on double duty
Men’s Singles #1 seed Hien Truong made light work of his quarterfinal double-header. In singles, he beat Mitchell Hargreaves 11-6, 11-7. In Men’s Doubles, he and Quang Do dispatched George Wall and Joseph Wild 11-6, 11-6. Two matches, four games, zero dropped.
Truong is still chasing his first Men’s Singles gold in Asia. He has two silvers and a bronze. The top step has been close but never his. With Men’s Doubles also in his sights, a double crown is still on the cards in Malaysia.
Semifinal action gets underway at 8:00 AM (GMT+8). Check out all the results from Day 3 action here.
