ALOHA, TOKYO: BRACKETS DRIFT IN WITH HAWAII AT THE TOP
| June 26, 2026
The Sansan Tokyo Open 2026 brackets have dropped, and two teenagers from Hawaii are sitting at the top.
Kiora Kunimoto, 18, is the #1 seed in Women’s Singles and about to make her Asia debut. Meanwhile Tama Shimabukuro, 15, tops the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles draws and sits at #2 in Men’s Singles. Both are Hawaiian and will be headlining the action in Tokyo. Hawaii and Japan share a bond that runs deep. Now two of pickleball’s brightest young talents are bringing it to the court.
Kunimoto only turned professional mid-2025. Within months she was collecting medals on the PPA Challenger circuit, upsetting top-10 players, and earning her spot on the main tour. She arrives in Tokyo as a California Black Bears player in the middle of an MLP season, on an off-week, and straight into the #1 seed. Her #2 seed in Women’s Singles is Sahra Dennehy — her Black Bears teammate. Same team, opposite sides of the draw. The bracket keeps them apart until the business end.
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Shimabukuro’s story has moved fast. A year ago he was a 14-year-old qualifier at the Sansan Fukuoka Open, battling through early rounds and upsetting seeds in Japan. Roll on to 2026 and then the Atlanta Slam happened. He tore through the draw as a 22nd seed in April, beating Federico Staksrud and Hunter Johnson before falling to Chris Haworth in the Men’s Singles final. It was Tama Time. He arrives in Tokyo as one of the most talked-about players in the sport, three events deep in the running, and with a target on his back.
The Men’s Singles field has plenty more to say. Zane Ford is the #1 seed and has a score to settle. Beijing was his first Asia event and he made the final, only to fall to Hong Kit Wong 11-5, 11-8. He is currently No.9 in the PPA Rankings and he knows exactly what he left behind in Beijing. Wong comes in at #3, the reigning Beijing champion, one of the most decorated players on tour. Grayson Goldin slots in at #4. Below the seeds, Navratil, Miyoshi, and Hargreaves are all capable of going deep.
On the women’s side Dennehy arrives carrying unfinished business. In Beijing she won Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles. But Chao Yi Wang denied her the triple crown in Mixed Doubles. Wang is not in the Tokyo draw at all and a the triple crown is well and truly back on the table. Yufei Long at #3 in Women’s Singles and Lingwei Kong at #4 are eager to upset the status quo, and Kunimoto at the top of the bracket is seeded #1 for a reason. Dennehy once again is going to have the elusive triple.
The doubles draws also have headline making names amongst the action. Townsend and Wild arrive as the #2 seeds in Mixed Doubles — a partnership that already has Asia gold on its record from the MB Vietnam Open 2025. Funemizu and Shimabukuro lead the Men’s Doubles as the #1 seeds, a combination that has been building chemistry on the PPA Tour stateside. Meanwhile Townsend partners Dennehy in Women’s Doubles as top seeds, having recently won the PPA Tour Finals 500 title together in May.
Qualifying gets underway July 1 from 8am (GMT+9), with the main draw running July 2-4 at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi in Tokyo. Admission is free.
