{"id":4405,"date":"2026-07-12T23:49:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&p=4405"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T10:34:20","slug":"shimabukuro-tokyo-double","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/shimabukuro-tokyo-double\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Golds in Tokyo \u2014 15-Year-Old Shimabukuro Shows the Depth of Hawaii's Development Network"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the PPA ASIA 500 Sansan TOKYO OPEN 2026 Produced by TBS, which closed on July 4 at Arena Tachikawa Tachihi in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Honolulu's Tama Shimabukuro, 15, took home two gold medals, in men's doubles and mixed doubles. The fact that one of the winners at the first Asian stop of the world's top tour was a 15-year-old who had spent his days skateboarding and surfing until two years ago says a lot about the character of this event. How the tournament came together and how the show was designed were covered inThe world's premier tour opens in Tachikawa \u2014 reading the event design of the Tokyo Open<\/a>, so here the focus is on the young talent behind the results and the development network in Hawaii standing behind him.<\/p>\n\n

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Gold in men's doubles and mixed: the double title Shimabukuro took in Tachikawa<\/h2>\n

Shimabukuro's golds came in men's doubles and mixed doubles. In men's doubles he paired with Japan's Yuta Funamizu, 32, and beat the American pair of Collin Johns and Ren Yang in the final. That match was also the first PPA Asia title for a Japanese man, and Funamizu's side of it is followed in detail inA homecoming win just as promised: the day Yuta Funamizu beat a former world No. 1 in Tachikawa<\/a>. In mixed doubles he paired with Australia's Sarah Dennehy and again took the title, beating the Yufei Long and Ren Yang pair in the final.<\/p>\n

He did not, however, win the men's singles, where he was seen as the favorite. He lost in the quarterfinals to Australia's Mitch Hargreaves and finished singles without a medal. He entered all three events, reached the top in two and let one slip. The outline of four days in which a 15-year-old traded blows with the world's top group is almost fully captured by that record of two wins and one loss.<\/p>\n\n

A 15-year-old from Kakaako, Honolulu, rising fast two years after switching<\/h2>\n

Shimabukuro was born and raised in the Kakaako district of Honolulu, Hawaii. He took up pickleball about two years ago, and before that he is reported to have spent his time skateboarding and surfing. He is not a product of elite racket-sport schooling; what sets him apart is how quickly he brought the body sense of board sports into the game.<\/p>\n

His breakthrough came in Atlanta in the spring of 2026. Seeded 22nd, he fought his way to the men's singles final of a slam-level event, knocking off higher-ranked players one after another and setting off the \"Tama Town\" phenomenon, as reported in15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro reaches the PPA Atlanta men\u2019s singles final\u2014a stunning silver from the No. 22 seed<\/a>. At the time of the Tokyo event his PPA Tour rankings were 12th in men's singles, 17th in men's doubles and 14th in mixed doubles. An all-round young player inside the top 20 in all three disciplines took multiple titles at the host nation's tournament.<\/p>\n\n

What the two golds look like in numbers<\/h2>\n

Breaking down what Shimabukuro did in Tachikawa by event shows the caliber of the opponents he beat.<\/p>\n
Event<\/th>Pair<\/th>Opponents in the final<\/th>Result<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Men's Doubles<\/td>Yuta Funamizu (Japan)<\/td>Johns \/ Yan (US)<\/td>Champion (gold)<\/td><\/tr>
Mixed doubles<\/td>Sarah Dennehy (Australia)<\/td>Long \/ Yang<\/td>Champion (gold)<\/td><\/tr>
Men's singles<\/td>\u2014<\/td>Lost to Hargreaves (Australia) in the quarterfinals<\/td>No medal<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n

Collin Johns, whom he beat in men's doubles, is a craftsman nicknamed the Professor who has held the world No. 1 spot in men's doubles with his brother Ben. Yang, whom he beat in mixed, was the player partnering Johns in that same men's doubles final. With top players standing in his way again and again across events, a 15-year-old winning two finals is no small thing.<\/p>\n\n

The depth of players Hawaii keeps sending out<\/h2>\n

Writing this off as Shimabukuro alone standing out misses the substance of the result. Over the past few years Hawaii has become ground that keeps producing young pickleball players.<\/p>\n

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