PPA Tour Asia wrapped its 2026 season on Sunday at Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong. The Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam carried a purse of up to $1.1M, the largest in Asian pro pickleball history, plus 1,500 ranking points. The draw had 895 players aged 9 to 71 from 22 countries, with more than 1,000 amateurs entered and a free fan zone, PICKLETOWN, on site.
The season ran 10 stops across seven markets, from the MB Hanoi Cup in April to Hong Kong in October, with stops in Kuala Lumpur, Macao, China, Tokyo, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City along the way. Hong Kong was the finale, and the top Americans flew over to close it.
All five finals went to familiar names, with one big exception. Anna Leigh Waters won women's doubles with Anna Bright 11-4, 11-6 over Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson, then mixed doubles with Ben Johns 11-4, 11-3 over Bright and Hayden Patriquin. Hunter Johnson beat 15 year old Tama Shimabukuro 11-4, 6-11, 11-7 in men's singles. Andie Dikosavljevic beat Judit Castillo 11-1, 11-5 in women's singles, her second straight gold after Brisbane, and she lost one game in ten completed matches across the two 1500 events. Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin beat Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio 11-6, 11-8 in men's doubles, without dropping a game in five matches, their second title of 2026.
The Johns and Tardio result is the one to sit with. They won all nine events they entered together in the first half of the season and have now lost two finals in three weeks. Staksrud kept it plain after the win: "We didn't play together for the first half of the year, and in the second half we're just getting started."
Most players now return to the US for the MLP Nations Cup, Oct 30 to Nov 1, and the Pickleball World Championships, Nov 2 to 8, in Dallas. Shimabukuro just replaced Hien Truong on Team Asia International for the Nations Cup. PPA Tour Asia already has its 2027 opening set: Bangkok and Manila host for the first time, then the tour returns to Penang and Ho Chi Minh City.
Why it matters: the interesting part is not who won, it is where it happened. Ten stops across seven Asian markets in one season, a million dollar purse, and a 15 year old in a Slam final. The pro tour is becoming a global tour in real time, and the next generation is already in the draw.
Sources: The Dink recap, pickleball.com, World Pickleball Magazine, PPA Tour Asia 2026 calendar.