HANOI BRACKETS DROP: REMATCHES, DEBUTS AND DRAMA LOADED
| March 24, 2026
The MB Hanoi Cup 2026 brackets are out and they’ve delivered some box office matchups.
With PPA Tour Asia’s season opener just on the horizon, the draw has handed players their roadmaps to gold. Some got lucky. Others? Not so much.
Men’s Singles: Loaded from top to bottom
The top two seeds may be kept apart until the final, but the draw has made sure neither Federico Staksrud or Christian Alshon will have a quiet ride to get there.
Staksrud’s top half features a projected quarterfinal between Connor Garnett and Jay Devilliers — the Sansan Fukuoka Open Triple Crown champion versus the PPA veteran on his Asia debut. That quarterfinal alone could be a final at most events. Staksrud’s own quarter includes Hong Kit Wong, who tore through the Vibrant Linping Hangzhou Open in December — beating Garnett 11-4, 11-3 in the quarters before reaching the final. A repeat run from Wong could give Staksrud an early test.
Alshon’s bottom half is no easier. The Panas Malaysia Cup champion shares a quarter with teenage sensation Tama Shimabukuro, while Dylan Frazier — making his Asia debut — has drawn a cleaner path to a projected semifinal against Alshon. Asia has a habit of rewriting scripts though, and the draw is deep enough that nothing is guaranteed.
Women’s Singles: Hangzhou final rematch lands in the quarters
The biggest talking point? Chao Yi Wang and Sahra Dennehy are in the same quarter setting up a potential rematch of the Hangzhou Open final just three months ago. Dennehy won that one convincingly to cap off back-to-back Asia gold medals, while Wang will be hungry for revenge. That this clash could come in the quarterfinals rather than the final makes it one of the most compelling draws of the whole tournament.
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Top seed Kate Fahey hasn’t caught a break either. Her section of the draw is loaded with 2025 Asia standouts, including three-time PPA Tour Asia Women’s Singles champion Yufei Long as a potential Round of 16 opponent. The World No.2 will be tested early on her Asia debut.
Kaitlyn Christian will need to navigate Judit Castillo in her quarter before thinking about the semis, while Brooke Buckner has drawn the most open section of any top seed on her own Asia debut.
Women’s Doubles: Star power meets depth
Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright team up as the #1 seed, with Waters making her international debut. At the other end, Tyra Hurricane Black and Catherine Parenteau hold the #2 seed. A Waters/Bright vs Hurricane Black/Parenteau final may be the matchup fans want to see — but there is plenty of competition for that Championship Sunday slot. Buckner/Chao Yi Wang have landed in the top seeds’ quarter, meaning Waters and Bright could face a serious test as early as the quarterfinals. Regular Asia standouts Ting Chieh Wei/Yufei Long and Townsend/Dennehy add further depth across the draw
Men’s Doubles: Clear favorites, dangerous floaters
Gabriel Tardio and Ben Johns are the clear favorites as the #1 seed. Johns has been close before, picking up silver and bronze in Men’s Doubles in Asia last season, but gold has eluded him. Staksrud and Patriquin sit at #2 as the most likely team to stop them on their road to the top of the podium.
The top half features a projected quarterfinal between Collin Johns/Len Yang and Dylan Frazier/Eric Oncins — with Johns and Yang bringing momentum from recent deep runs in the USA. In the bottom half, McGuffin/Riley Newman have drawn Pham/Garnett in their projected quarter, while Devilliers/Pablo Tellez could face the #2 seeds in theirs. Notably, McGuffin and Oncins won back-to-back Men’s Doubles gold together at the MB Vietnam Cup and Panas Malaysia Cup last year — now they’re on opposite sides of the bracket with new partners by their sides.
Mixed Doubles: Powerhouse pairings collide
Waters and Johns lead as #1 seeds, with Bright/Patriquin at #2 on the other end. The projected semifinals tell the story: Waters/Johns could face Hurricane Black/Tardio for a spot in the final, while Bright/Patriquin will have to contend with Kaitlyn Christian/Alshon in their half.
Action at the MB Hanoi Cup 2026 tips off at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Arena in Hanoi, Vietnam from April 1-5. Check out the full brackets here.
