SHENZHEN SIZES UP A STACKED FIELD
| August 18, 2026
The draws are out for the Skechers Shenzhen Open 2026, and there is plenty to sort through before the first ball is served. Here is what to watch.
One of the youngest names in the field carries one of the biggest workloads. Elsie Hendershot, 13, is entered in three events, seeded #4 in Women’s Doubles alongside Aiko Yoshitomi and #8 in Mixed Doubles with Zane Navratil, and into the Women’s Singles draw as well. The American made headlines in Major League Pickleball this season but is still chasing a marquee result in Asia after appearances at the Sansan Fukuoka Open 2025 and the MB Hanoi Cup 2026. Three cracks at it this week.
FOLLOW TOURNAMENT ACTION
There is a new name at the very top of the Men’s Singles draw, and it is a serious one. Roscoe Bellamy arrives on the PPA Tour Asia for the first time and goes straight in as the #1 seed. Ranked World No.6 in Men’s Singles and World No.23 overall on the World Pickleball Rankings, Bellamy is one of the highest-ranked players to debut in Asia this season, and he steps into the deep end from his very first match. Top billing, unfamiliar surroundings, and a target on his back.
Nothing will come easy. This is one of the meanest Men’s Singles fields of the year. Zane Ford lurks at #2. Three-time reigning champion Hong Kit Wong, chasing yet another title, sits at #3. Home hope Hien Truong is at #5, and Adam Harvey rolls in at #6 straight off his Ho Chi Minh City gold. That is a gauntlet of contenders stacked behind the debutant, and any one of them is good enough to take gold.
The Women’s Singles might be deeper still. Chao Yi Wang is back, and back at the very top as the #1 seed, a marquee return in itself. Behind her the draw reads like a who’s who: Sahra Dennehy at #2, Yufei Long at #3, Rika Fujiwara at #4. Four genuine gold threats in the top four alone. Long has extra reason to want this one. Shenzhen is her hometown, and she arrives in solid form after a double-crown weekend in Singapore and another Women’s Doubles gold in Ho Chi Minh City. The home crowd will be loud for her.
The action gets under way Thursday, August 20 at 9:00 AM (GMT+8) with qualifying and the Round of 32.
