At the PPA Tour Asia "Sansan Tokyo Open," held July 1–4 in Tachikawa, Tokyo, teenage names lined up among the top seeds. The women's singles No. 1 seed is 18-year-old Kiora Kunimoto, and the men's singles No. 2 seed is 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro. Both are teenagers from Hawaii (per PPA Tour Asia tournament information; held July 2026). At an international event hosted in Japan, teenagers stand at the top of the pro pecking order. This is a reference point Japan cannot afford to overlook as it sets out to develop its juniors.
Hawaiian teens took the top seeds
The tournament is classified as PPA Asia 500. Taking the No. 1 seed in the pro-draw women's singles is Kiora Kunimoto, from Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her career upends one piece of conventional wisdom about how long it takes to develop. She started pickleball in January 2025. Six months later she entered her first pro tournament, and just a few months after that she signed with the PPA Tour. In high school she won the 2025 Hawaii state high school tennis singles title, and upon graduating she switched fully to pickleball.
Men's singles No. 2 seed Tama Shimabukuro is even younger. A 15-year-old from Honolulu, he took up the sport at age 13. A boy who had been making a name for himself in skateboarding became hooked on pickleball, which he stumbled upon on a family trip, and within two years he had climbed into the upper reaches of the world rankings. At 14 he signed a three-year deal with the PPA Tour, one of the youngest ages ever to turn pro. At this season's Atlanta event, he advanced from the No. 22 seed all the way to the final, knocking out multiple seeded players along the way.
Why can teenagers rise to the top this quickly?
What Kunimoto and Shimabukuro share is a short competitive history and a fast ramp-up. Both come from other-sport backgrounds and reached the top ranks within a few years of starting pickleball. It appears that the body control and competitive instincts honed in tennis and skateboarding sharply accelerated their mastery of a racket-and-paddle sport.
This structure of "reaching the top in a short time" is two sides of the same coin as the youth of the sport of pickleball itself. Its history since going pro is short, and the pool of players who have built up their skills since early childhood is still thin. That is precisely why teenagers with athleticism and competitive instinct have room to overtake veterans with a few years of concentrated effort. Conversely, that room will not stay open forever. As the sport's base broadens and childhood development systems take root in each country, it will grow harder to sprint up from behind in a short time. What the Hawaiian teens demonstrate is also the fact that right now is the phase in which development pays back the fastest.
Where does Japan's junior development stand?
In Japan, too, a framework for junior development has begun to move. Sansan, this tournament's title sponsor, runs the top-pro development project "Pickleball X." Former world champion Daniel Moore and others are among its coaching staff, and its aim is to develop players who can compete globally, including those from other sports. The first cohort launched in 2024, and in the second cohort 24 were selected from 171 applicants. It is a plan to develop players with an eye on the PPA Tour and MLP in a top-level domestic environment.
The institutional side is also being built out. From 2026, a new organization formed by the merger of the JPA and the PJF goes into full operation, and design of national-team selection and a junior development program (a U19 framework) is progressing. Recruitment of Japanese national representatives for the Asia Junior Open covers U12 through U18, and an entry point for international experience among younger players is taking shape.India has already selected a junior national teamCompared with that situation, Japan's framework-building is progressing on the same timeline.
That said, there is a distance between having a framework and having teenagers take top seeds on the pro tour. What the two Hawaiians showed is that, on top of selection and providing an environment, development accelerates all at once when an influx of talent from other sports meshes with real competitive opportunities. In Japan's case, the base of adjacent sports like tennis, badminton, and table tennis is deep. Whether Japan can draw teenagers in from there and put them on the international stage early will be the next fork in the road.
Three takeaways from the teenage seeds
Organizing this tournament's lineup in the context of a Japan-hosted event, it looks like this.
| Player | Age | From | Seed at this tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiora Kunimoto | 18 | Hilo, Big Island of Hawaii | Women's singles No. 1 seed |
| Tama Shimabukuro | 15 | Honolulu | Men's singles No. 2 seed |
First, the phase in which development pays back fastest is now. While the player pool is thin, a few concentrated years can reach the world stage. Second, converts from other sports can become the leads. Both came from other sports and transplanted their body control and competitive instincts in a short time. Third, proximity to real competition determines growth. The Hawaiian teens grew up right next to the pro tour and gained real-match experience early. In Japan, too, how quickly match opportunities at home and abroad can be arranged will shape the speed of development.
Concrete takeaways for Japan's players and coaches
This trend is not just a story for those aiming to go pro. It also holds points worth referencing for people coaching at local schools and clubs. First, increase the entry points where children and teens can encounter pickleball. Since those with racket-and-paddle experience ramp up faster, simply opening trial opportunities to tennis and badminton juniors will change the future player pool.
Next, give them the experience of outside matches early. Both Kunimoto and Shimabukuro grew by getting out onto the real stage soon after starting. Domestically, too, examples have emerged of athletes converting from the top of another sport and producing results in the PPA, such as Yuta Funamizu (Yuta Funamizu, former double soft-tennis champion, wins his first PPA title and returns in July). Regardless of age, the pattern in which real competition draws out room to grow is common to all. The teenage seeds lined up at the Tokyo Open are, for Japan's junior development, both a target and a marker within reach if pursued now.
Sources
PPA Tour Asia: Sansan Tokyo Open
Selkirk Sport: On the rise, Kiora Kunimoto
Selkirk Sport: Tama Shimabukuro, the teen shaking up pro pickleball
Sansan: Pickleball Top Player Generation Project "Pickleball X"
Pickleball Japan Federation: Recruiting Japan's National Team for the 2026 Asia Junior Open
