Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam: Federico Staksrud, Hayden Patriquin Topple World No. 1 as PPA Tour Asia Closes Banner Season
If you’re going to end the season, you might as well do it with a bang. The Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam, the first-ever PPA Asia 1500 event, did precisely that, wrapping up the 2026 PPA Tour Asia calendar at Kai Tak Arena with a finals day full of upsets, a near-fairytale, and a fresh batch of champions.
Revenge Served Fresh in Men’s Doubles
The biggest shock of the day came in Men’s Doubles. Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin, the No. 2 seeds, beat top seeds Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio 11-6, 11-8 to claim the title.
It was also a rematch with a bit of history. The same two pairs had met in the final that opened the year at the MB Hanoi Cup, where Johns and Tardio took the gold. Now, the tables have turned. Patriquin’s hands made the difference at the net, while Staksrud set the tempo and found the holes, with the Hong Kong crowd getting firmly behind them. Beating the World No. 1 pairing on the biggest stage in Asia? Not a bad way to close the year.
A Teenager Falls One Win Short
The Men’s Singles final delivered the day’s drama. Hunter Johnson prevailed 11-4, 6-11, 11-7 over 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro in a back-and-forth tussle, with Johnson’s passing shots and groundstrokes meeting the teenager’s cat-and-mouse patience. The momentum swung from game to game before Johnson held firm in the decider.
Shimabukuro’s dream run therefore ended in silver. It was still enough to complete his dragon medal set for the year, but one win short of the golden dragon. For Johnson, it was a second PPA title in two weeks, following his triumph at the Australian Pickleball Cup in Brisbane.
Dikosavljevic Does It Again
In Women’s Singles, Andie Dikosavljevic was simply a class above. The No. 8 seed beat Judit Castillo 11-1, 11-5, overpowering her from the baseline. It was a repeat of last week’s Australian Pickleball Cup final, which Dikosavljevic also won.
Her week in Hong Kong had already included wins over the No. 2 seed and World Singles No. 10 Sahra Dennehy, so the title was a fitting finish to a breakout run.
The Big Names Share the Spoils
The two biggest names on the grounds, meanwhile, took the rest. Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters beat Tyra “Hurricane” Black and Jorja Johnson 11-6, 11-4 in Women’s Doubles, forming a wall at the net that nobody could get through.
A few hours later, Bright and Waters were on opposite sides of the net in Mixed Doubles, and Waters, partnering Ben Johns, got the better of Bright and Patriquin, 11-4, 11-3. That made Waters a double champion on the day, while Patriquin had to make do with his Men’s Doubles gold.
