Macau Open 2026: Tama Shimabukuro, Armaan Bhatia Lead Winners’ Circle With Two Golds Each
Tama Shimabukuro had been a two-time Men’s Singles quarterfinalist on PPA Tour Asia. A promising record. A frustrating ceiling. In Macao, he broke through—twice.
The 15-year-old American defeated No. 1 seed Hong Kit Wong 11-9, 11-9 in the Men’s Singles final to claim his first singles medal on the tour, then returned to win the Men’s Doubles title alongside Armaan Bhatia 12-10, 11-5 over Mitchell Hargreaves and Kenta Miyoshi. Two gold medals on Championship Sunday. The question that had followed him across Asia—can he go the distance in singles?—has its answer.
Wong had already played two matches earlier in the day before stepping into the final, and pushed Shimabukuro close in both games. But the No. 2 seed was the steadier player when the margins shrank, finding passing shots with the kind of composure that had been absent in his previous quarterfinal exits. He held his nerve. He went the whole way.
The Men’s Doubles gold completed the double crown—and carried its own story. Bhatia and Shimabukuro had lost the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open final to Collin Johns and Len Yang just a fortnight ago, beaten convincingly 3-11, 6-11. They came back as No. 1 seeds in Macao and delivered. For Bhatia in particular, it was long overdue—three silver medals and a bronze in Men’s Doubles on the tour, and no gold. Until now.
Bhatia Was Not finished
Shimabukuro had his double. Bhatia went and matched it.
The Indian star returned to court alongside Kara Wheatley to beat Nok Yiu Tang and Eunggwon Kim 13-11, 11-7 in the Mixed Doubles final—completing a doubles double in the space of a few hours. Tang and Kim had beaten Bhatia twice before in Mixed Doubles with different partners. The third time went the other way. It was also Wheatley’s first PPA Tour Asia medal of any kind, having never previously progressed beyond the round of 16 in Mixed Doubles.
Fujiwara Makes Japanese History
Rika Fujiwara capped a remarkable week by beating Ho Tam 11-4, 11-4 in the Women’s Singles final to claim not only her first gold on PPA Tour Asia, but the first Women’s Singles gold for a Japanese athlete on the tour. The former professional tennis player—who reached a career-high world No. 13 in WTA doubles and was a 2002 French Open doubles semifinalist—added the title with Roland Garros currently under way in Paris. The timing, it must be said, felt fitting.
She also picked up a Women’s Doubles bronze earlier in the day alongside Kei Sawaki, beating No. 1 seeds Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall and Lingwei Kong 6-11, 11-4, 11-6. Two medals on Championship Sunday for the Japanese veteran. Sawaki, the 15-year-old who had announced herself to the tour in Kuala Lumpur, continues to build.
Haas and Kao Complete the Upset
Jamie Haas and Pei-Chuan Kao beat Ho Tam and Mihae Kwon 11-6, 11-2 in the Women’s Doubles final, carrying the momentum from their semifinal upset of No. 1 seeds Wang-Beckvall and Kong all the way to gold. It was a first Women’s Doubles gold for both players. Tam, meanwhile, finished the day with two silver medals after losing both finals—a reminder that arriving without a PPA Tour Asia medal and leaving with two is not a bad week, however the Sunday went.
Hong Kong, China Builds Towards the Slam
The broader story of the Macao Open may be what it means for the Hong Kong Slam in October.
Wong played three matches on Championship Sunday and collected three medals—silver in Men’s Singles, bronze in Men’s Doubles with Kim, and bronze in Mixed Doubles with Yufei Long. He and Kim now have one silver and four bronze medals together in Men’s Doubles. The gold remains elusive. Wheatley took gold in Mixed Doubles. Tang took silver on the other side of the same net. Two Hong Kong players in the same final.
Between Wheatley’s gold, Wong’s three medals, and Tang’s silver, Hong Kong, China players accounted for five medals across three disciplines in a city that sits just across the Pearl River Delta from home. The Hong Kong Slam closes out the 2026 season from 19 to 25 October. Wheatley, Wong, and Tang are building exactly the kind of form that will carry expectation when the tour arrives on their doorstep.
They know it. The rest of the tour knows it too.
(The tour moves on to the Beijing Open on 17–21 June 2026. Check out all the results from the Macao Open 2026 here.)
