PPA Hong Kong Slam: Patriquin and Staksrud Stun Johns and Tardio, Waters Doubles Up
Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud beat the top seeds without dropping a game, Anna Leigh Waters took two golds, and Hunter Johnson and Andie Dikosavljevic went back to back in singles at Kai Tak Arena.
The Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam wrapped up at Kai Tak Arena on 25 October, closing PPA Asia's 2026 season with a men's doubles upset and a second straight week of singles titles for Hunter Johnson and Andie Dikosavljevic.
Patriquin and Staksrud take down the top seeds
The headline result came in men's doubles. Hayden Patriquin and Federico Staksrud, a recently reunited partnership, beat top seeds Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio 11-6, 11-8 in the final. It capped a week in which they did not drop a single game across five matches, and it is the pair's second title of 2026.
For Johns and Tardio, who had looked the team to beat on the Asia swing, it was a rare one-sided defeat in a final, and a reminder that the men's doubles field is far more open than the rankings suggest.
Waters adds two more golds
Anna Leigh Waters, fresh from her 200th career title in Chicago earlier this month, left Hong Kong with two more:
- Women's doubles: Waters and Anna Bright beat Tyra Black and Jorja Johnson in straight games.
- Mixed doubles: Waters and Ben Johns beat Bright and Patriquin, the pair who had beaten them in the Las Vegas Open final.
The mixed result gave Johns a title to take home after the men's doubles loss, and it settled a rivalry that had swung the other way only weeks ago.
Back to back in singles
Both singles champions repeated their wins from the PPA Australia Pickleball Cup in Brisbane the week before.
- Men's singles: Hunter Johnson def. Tama Shimabukuro 11-4, 6-11, 11-7
- Women's singles: Andie Dikosavljevic def. Judit Castillo 11-1, 11-5
The men's draw was thrown open in the quarter-finals, when world number one and top seed Christopher Haworth lost to Noe Khlif. That left room for 15-year-old Shimabukuro, who pushed Johnson to a deciding game before the American closed it out. Castillo had also knocked out the women's top seed, Kaitlyn Christian, in the quarter-finals, but had no answer to Dikosavljevic in the final.
Full finals at a glance
- Men's doubles: Patriquin / Staksrud def. Johns / Tardio, 11-6, 11-8
- Women's doubles: Waters / Bright def. Black / Johnson
- Mixed doubles: Waters / Johns def. Bright / Patriquin
- Men's singles: Johnson def. Shimabukuro, 11-4, 6-11, 11-7
- Women's singles: Dikosavljevic def. Castillo, 11-1, 11-5
The Paddle Dept. take
Hong Kong showed how quickly form can turn at the top level. A pair that had only just reunited went unbeaten in games against the best team in the world, and a 15-year-old took a game off a two-time champion in a fortnight. For club players, the lesson is that partnership chemistry and consistency often matter more than reputation. Getting a paddle that suits your game is part of that consistency, and our Compare a Paddle tool lets you weigh specs side by side. Next up is the Pickleball World Championships in Texas, starting with the MLP Nations Cup on 30 October.
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