SET YOUR ALARMS. IT’S TAMA TIME IN ASIA.

It’s about to be Tama time at the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open 2026. Teenage sensation Tama Shimabukuro is headed to Malaysia and his matches will be a hot ticket item at the 9Pickle courts.

FROM THE COAST TO THE KITCHEN

The 15-year-old did not have your typical start in pickleball. He grew up in Hawaii with a skateboard under his feet and ambitions to make it big on the world stage. His skills on the board were noticed too, with the likes of Nike and RVCA partnering up with Shimabukuro.

But then one day his family drove past a pickleball court in California. The sport immediately caught their attention and they went and bought paddles from Target and hit the courts. From then on everything changed.

Pickleball was now the passion. Time on the baseline increased, but his roots from the street and waves influenced his style on court. Shimabukuro’s mom Tatum describes his pickleball as “going with the flow and free-styling it, and that just matches his style in skateboarding and surfing too.”

WELCOME TO ASIA

Shimabukuro’s first taste of PPA Tour Asia came at the Sansan Fukuoka Open 2025. He was just 14.

He took no time at all to start scoring upsets.

First big win notched on the board was over Men’s Singles #3 seed Tyler Loong, ranked No.38 at the time, 11-5, 11-4. That same day, partnering Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall in Mixed Doubles, he knocked off #2 seeds Loong and Pei-Chuan Kao. Two major upsets in one afternoon of pickleball.

_{Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall (left) and Tama Shimabukuro (right) on their way to an upset win in Japan.}

With a new year came a minor breakthrough. The MB Hanoi Cup kicked off 2026 and Shimabukuro posted his best Asia results to date. A Men’s Singles quarterfinal and 4th place in Men’s Doubles. Tama had delivered at a PPA Asia 1000. Something had shifted.

Then came Atlanta.

PEACHY PLAY IN ATLANTA

The Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships is one of the biggest stages on the PPA Tour calendar. Shimabukuro entered the Men’s Singles draw as the No. 22 seed. By the end of the week, he left as a finalist.

Shimabukuro was racking up upsets like nobody’s business. He defeated former World No.1 Federico Staksrud. He got the better of #1 seed Hunter Johnson. Match after match, the Atlanta crowd got louder. By Championship Sunday, they were his.

“The crowds were so great this whole week,” Shimabukuro said. “I was just trying to stay calm, and this crowd got me through every match.”

Chris Haworth ended the singles run in the final in straight games. But even Haworth had to reshape his game to deal with what Shimabukuro does at the kitchen line.

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“They’re both getting a lot of balls back and almost baiting you to pass them and overhit,” Haworth said after the final, comparing Shimabukuro to semifinalist Connor Garnett. “So I tried to take a bit off and focus more on spots than on power.”

When the #1 seed is taking pace off the ball because a 15-year-old keeps reading him, something has shifted.

Shimabukuro also finished 4th in Men’s Doubles alongside Yuta Funemizu. Two deep runs. And a whole lot of new fans that now would classify themselves as Team Tama.

STATS, SEEDS AND TRIPLE CROWN SIGHTS

The numbers on the board reflect what Atlanta confirmed. In 2025, Shimabukuro’s PPA win rate across all events around the globe sat at 48.9%. In 2026, it is 59.1%.

Now he returns to Asia for the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open 2026, and it’s a different proposition entirely.

Top seed in Men’s Doubles with Armaan Bhatia. Top seed in Mixed Doubles with Alix Truong. Third seed in Men’s Singles behind Hien Truong and Hong Kit Wong. Three events. All seeded. Brand new partners in both doubles events.

Six months ago he was losing in the Round of 16 at Asia Opens. Now he walks into 9Pickle as the player the rest of the draw has to prepare for. The underdog tag is long gone.

A Triple Crown is also on the table. Only one player has ever pulled that off in PPA Tour Asia. Shimabukuro is seeded to challenge for it across all three disciplines.

Can he do it? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure. It’s about to be Tama time in Asia.