Tama Shimabukuro Claims the Double at the PPA Asia Macao Open 2026

Championship Sunday at the PPA Asia Macao Open brought five gold medals, one standout double, and a breakthrough win for Japanese pickleball.

Tama Shimabukuro closed out his weekend at Cotai Expo with both the Men's Singles title and the Men's Doubles gold alongside Armaan Bhatia, making him the story of the tournament. Rika Fujiwara claimed Women's Singles gold in a commanding performance, while Ho Tam put together a remarkable run to reach two finals in the same day.

The Macao Open was the third stop of the 2026 PPA Tour Asia calendar and the first time the tour visited the Cotai Strip. With 614 registered players and US$70,000 in prize money on the line, it drew a deep field from across the region and beyond.

Championship Sunday Results

Men's Singles: Shimabukuro Breaks Through

Tama Shimabukuro took on top seed Hong Kit Wong in the Men's Singles final and came through 11-9, 11-9 in straight games. Wong had already played two matches earlier in the day and made Shimabukuro work in both sets, but the American 15-year-old held steady when the points were close. It was his first singles medal on the PPA Tour Asia, capping a week where he had already been a two-time quarterfinalist in the event without reaching the podium.

The bronze went to Britain's Matthew Finnerty, who won a three-game match over Japan's Kenta Miyoshi 10-12, 11-2, 11-6 earlier in the morning.

Women's Singles: Fujiwara Takes the Gold

Rika Fujiwara of Japan had one of the standout runs of the tournament. She had already taken down top seed Yufei Long in the semifinals without dropping a game, and carried that form into the final against Vietnam's Ho Tam. Fujiwara won 11-4, 11-4 to claim the gold, her first singles title on the tour. Tam, who had battled through three-game matches earlier in the draw to reach the final as an unseeded player, could not find a way through.

Yufei Long took the bronze medal in Women's Singles, defeating Anni Xie in a comeback 9-11, 11-7, 11-6 after dropping the opening game.

Men's Doubles: Bhatia and Shimabukuro Make It Two

Armaan Bhatia and Tama Shimabukuro came into Macao as the top seeds in Men's Doubles after finishing runners-up at the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open two weeks earlier. They delivered on that billing, beating Mitchell Hargreaves and Kenta Miyoshi 12-10, 11-5 in the final. The first game was tight before they pulled away in the second. For Bhatia it was his first Men's Doubles gold on PPA Tour Asia after three silvers and a bronze.

E. Kim and Hong Kit Wong claimed the Men's Doubles bronze with a clean 11-4, 11-9 win over L. Pham and J. Yoo.

Women's Doubles: Haas and Pei-Chuan Kao Run It Clean

Jamie Haas and Pei-Chuan Kao reached the Women's Doubles final after upsetting top seeds Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall and Lingwei Kong in the semifinals. They carried that momentum into the gold medal match and took care of Ho Tam and Mihae Kwon 11-6, 11-2 without much trouble. Tam and Kwon had upset Fujiwara and Kei Sawaki in the semifinals to earn their place in the final.

Fujiwara and Sawaki recovered to win the bronze over Wang-Beckvall and Kong 6-11, 11-4, 11-6, completing a busy weekend for both players.

Mixed Doubles: Wheatley and Bhatia Edge a Tight Opener

The Mixed Doubles final was the last match of the day and produced the closest first game on Championship Sunday. Kara Wheatley and Armaan Bhatia held off Nok Yiu Tang and Eunggwon Kim 13-11, 11-7 to take the gold. Bhatia, who had already won the Men's Doubles earlier in the day alongside Shimabukuro, finished the tournament with two gold medals from two different partnerships.

The Mixed Doubles bronze was a three-game contest. Yufei Long and Hong Kit Wong came back from a dropped first game to beat Jamie Haas and Tama Shimabukuro 8-11, 11-5, 12-10. Shimabukuro had been aiming for a triple crown, but his Mixed Doubles run ended in the semifinals when he and Haas lost to Tang and Kim.

Bringing the Heat to Singapore

With the Macao Open wrapped, the PPA Tour Asia turns its attention to Singapore, which will host its first tour event this July. Shimabukuro and Bhatia both leave Macao with strong momentum, and Fujiwara's dominant singles run puts her among the names to watch for the rest of the 2026 calendar.

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