Hong Kong Slam: Staksrud Beats Wong as Johns Brothers Meet

Hong Kit Wong has another chance to beat Federico Staksrud on home soil, while Christian Alshon’s withdrawal and commanding performances by Christopher Haworth, Noe Khlif and Tama Shimabukuro have reshaped the Hong Kong Slam quarter-finals.

Hong Kit Wong came within two points of beating Federico Staksrud at the Hanoi Cup in April. He won the opening game, lost the second and pushed the deciding game to its limit before Staksrud escaped 7-11, 11-6, 12-10.

Now they meet again, this time in Hong Kong, with a semi-final place at the first PPA Tour Asia 1500 event at stake.

Wong reached the men’s singles quarter-finals at Kai Tak Arena on Thursday with an 11-8, 11-2 victory over Francis Chi. Staksrud had to recover from a difficult start against Eric Oncins, eventually winning 2-11, 11-4, 11-6. Their contrasting routes have delivered the rematch highlighted when the tournament draw was released.

It is the clearest home-interest story of a day that also saw Christian Alshon’s withdrawal change the men’s bracket, Haworth and Khlif extend dominant runs, and the women’s singles draw produce an immediate rematch between Kaitlyn Christian and Judit Castillo.

As the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam reaches its last eight in singles, the tournament is moving beyond opening-round scorelines. The remaining contests offer much stronger evidence of where the leading Asian-circuit players stand against opponents with established records elsewhere in professional pickleball.

Wong’s Second Chance Against Staksrud

Wong’s presence in the quarter-finals is no surprise. He finished the inaugural 2025 PPA Tour Asia season ranked No.1 in both men’s singles and men’s doubles. His singles record included gold at the Hong Kong Open, and he has added significant victories during 2026.

He also has an established record against international opposition. In December 2025, Wong beat Connor Garnett, then ranked world No.3, 11-4, 11-3 at the Hangzhou Open. His latest opportunity against Staksrud is therefore not a first examination against an elite opponent. It is the chance to reverse a particularly narrow result against a player he has already pushed to the closing points.

Wong’s Hong Kong campaign began with an 11-9, 11-5 victory over Zida Li. He then beat Eunggwon Kim, his men’s doubles partner, 11-5, 11-5 before overcoming Chi. Across those three singles matches he has won six games and lost none.

Against Chi, the first game remained competitive until Wong took it 11-8. He then completed the match 11-2. The scoreline confirms a more comfortable second game, although it does not explain which tactical exchanges produced the change.

Staksrud’s own Round of 16 result was more complicated. Oncins, who had already eliminated JW Johnson, won the opening game 11-2. Staksrud responded with successive 11-4 and 11-6 games to avoid joining the recognised singles contenders already removed from the competition.

The difference between Wong’s comfortable progression and Staksrud’s recovery should not be overstated. Both secured their places against the opponents in front of them. What matters is the evidence from their previous meeting: Wong can win games against Staksrud, and Staksrud has already shown he can finish a close contest against Wong.

In Hanoi, Wong was two points away from a breakthrough victory. In Hong Kong, he has the opportunity to change the ending in front of his own crowd.

Alshon Withdrawal Gives Goldin a Different Route

The most significant change to the men’s draw arrived without a match being played. Christian Alshon’s scheduled Round of 16 contest against Grayson Goldin was recorded as a withdrawal, sending Goldin into the quarter-finals.

The available tournament bracket does not establish why Alshon withdrew. It would be wrong to attribute the decision to injury without confirmation.

Instead of an anticipated meeting between Alshon and Tama Shimabukuro, Friday’s programme now features Goldin against the 15-year-old American, whose singles achievements have increasingly been forged on PPA Tour Asia.

Shimabukuro won the Macao Open singles title earlier this year, beating Wong 11-9, 11-9 in the final, and subsequently won in Kuala Lumpur. He has been particularly emphatic in Hong Kong. Wednesday’s 11-1, 11-1 victory over Timothy Foo was followed by an 11-2, 11-2 win against Luc Pham on Thursday.

That is eight points conceded across four games. Few players arrive at the last eight with a scoring record as persuasive, although Goldin is a more substantial test than either of his previous opponents.

Goldin’s signature result on the Asian circuit came at the Shenzhen Open. Trailing Hien Truong 10-5 in the deciding game of the final, he saved match point and won seven consecutive points to take the title 4-11, 11-9, 12-10.

The contrast is useful. Shimabukuro has recently denied opponents much opportunity to apply pressure. Goldin has proved that he can survive pressure when the contest appears lost. The records do not establish exactly how Friday’s points will be constructed, but they make this a compelling meeting of two established Asian tour champions.

Haworth and Khlif Finally Meet Stronger Resistance

Christopher Haworth and Noe Khlif have produced some of the most emphatic scorelines of the week. Now one of those unbeaten runs must end.

Top seed Haworth opened with an 11-0, 11-3 victory over Xirui Liu, then eliminated Zane Navratil 11-3, 12-10. Against Hien Truong in the Round of 16, he continued his progression with an 11-4, 11-3 victory.

Haworth has not dropped a game in three matches. His closest passage came in the second against Navratil, who forced the game beyond the regulation finishing score before Haworth closed it out.

Khlif has been similarly commanding. He beat Joey Wild 11-1, 11-1 and then Harrison Brown 11-1, 11-3, conceding only six points across those two completed matches. His runner-up finish against Shimabukuro at Kuala Lumpur also provides evidence that he can compete deep into a strong Asian tour draw.

Early dominance, however, is not a guarantee of quarter-final superiority. Haworth’s reputation and top seeding make him an obvious contender for the title, while Khlif has earned a direct opportunity to test that standing rather than be assessed through results against other opponents.

The winner will meet either Wong or Staksrud. That alone makes this section of the men’s bracket especially strong.

Garnett and Hunter Johnson Complete the Last Eight

The fourth men’s quarter-final brings together Connor Garnett and Hunter Johnson, both of whom negotiated their Round of 16 matches in straight games.

Garnett overwhelmed Mitchell Hargreaves 11-2, 11-4. Johnson faced a more competitive encounter but eliminated Tyson McGuffin 11-8, 11-7.

Johnson’s route has not been entirely smooth. He needed three games to defeat William Hsieh in his opening match, taking the decider 11-9, before advancing past Adam Harvey and McGuffin. Those results demonstrate an ability to survive a close contest and then progress against experienced opposition.

Garnett’s more comfortable recent wins provide a different kind of evidence. He has avoided the need for deciding games, but Friday will offer a stronger comparison than either player’s separate path to the quarter-finals.

Men’s Singles: Confirmed Quarter-Finals

Christian and Castillo Revisit Their Australian Meeting

In women’s singles, Kaitlyn Christian and Judit Castillo will meet again just days after Castillo beat Christian at the Australian Pickleball Cup.

Christian has won her previous two PPA Tour Asia singles appearances this season, in Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur. Her Hong Kong form has been remarkable: she defeated Tayah Cross 11-0, 11-1 and Ho Tam 11-0, 11-3, conceding only four points across four games.

Castillo’s progress has also been assured. She beat Kei Sawaki 11-7, 11-5, then eliminated Hannah Blatt 11-0, 11-5. Both quarter-finalists arrive without having dropped a game during their completed Hong Kong singles matches.

Christian’s early margins establish how decisively she has beaten those opponents. Castillo’s recent victory over Christian is a more direct point of comparison. Their quarter-final is a chance to discover whether the result in Australia reflects a lasting advantage or whether Christian can respond at the tournament where she is chasing a third singles title in three Asian appearances this season.

Wang Ends Tang’s Home Singles Run

Hong Kong’s Nok Yiu Tang will not join Wong in the singles quarter-finals. She lost 11-8, 11-4 to Chao Yi Wang, who is also her women’s doubles partner at the tournament.

Tang had beaten Kwan Wun Man and Mihae Kwon to reach the Round of 16, giving the home audience a second prominent singles interest beyond the opening stages. Against Wang, the competitive first game was followed by a clearer margin in the second.

Wang advances to face Andie Dikosavljevic, who delivered one of Thursday’s strongest results, beating Lacy Schneemann 11-3, 11-4. The quarter-final now pits Wang’s substantial Asian tour record against an Australian opponent who has just removed a recognised international professional.

Tang’s women’s doubles run has also ended. She and Wang lost their quarter-final to Mari Humberg and Cailyn Campbell 11-3, 6-11, 11-4.

Fujiwara Survives as Women’s Quarter-Finals Take Shape

The remaining women’s last-eight pairings offer sharply contrasting routes.

Yufei Long beat Sophia Nhi Huynh 11-5, 11-7 to arrange a meeting with Kiora Kunimoto, who swept aside Aiko Yoshitomi 11-2, 11-3. Kunimoto’s margin was the more emphatic of the two, but Long’s straight-games progress leaves both with credible ambitions of reaching the last four.

Sahra Dennehy advanced with an 11-3, 11-3 victory over Sophia Phuong Anh Tran. Rika Fujiwara, meanwhile, survived one of the more dramatic scoring sequences of the round against Mari Humberg. Fujiwara won the opening game 11-0, lost the second 3-11, then took the decider 11-9.

Those results produce a Dennehy-Fujiwara quarter-final with no obvious conclusion to be drawn from their separate scorelines. Dennehy progressed comfortably, while Fujiwara has already proved she can recover from a decisive reversal within a match.

Women’s Singles: Confirmed Quarter-Finals

Waters and Bright Lead Women’s Doubles Quarter-Final Field

Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright opened their women’s doubles campaign with an 11-0, 11-3 win over Jamie Haas and Rika Fujiwara. Their next opponents will be Sahra Dennehy and Danni-Elle Townsend, who beat Allyce Jones and Kaitlyn Christian 11-7, 4-11, 11-6.

Sofia Sewing and Catherine Parenteau defeated Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall and Aiko Yoshitomi 11-8, 11-4. They meet Judit Castillo and Kiora Kunimoto, who overcame Lacy Schneemann and Ting Chieh Wei 11-8, 11-3.

In the bottom half, Tyra Hurricane Black and Jorja Johnson progressed with an 11-6, 11-3 victory over Albie Huang and Andie Dikosavljevic. They will face Humberg and Campbell, the pair who ended Wang and Tang’s partnership in this event.

Rachel Rohrabacher and Parris Todd beat Hannah Blatt and Kei Sawaki 11-3, 11-2. Their quarter-final opponents are Alix Truong and Jessie Irvine, who edged Lingwei Kong and Yufei Long 11-5, 9-11, 12-10.

These are the women’s doubles quarter-final fixtures, not the semi-finals. The winners will move into the final four.

Women’s Doubles: Confirmed Quarter-Finals

Men’s and mixed doubles also feature major partnerships, including Ben Johns and Gabriel Tardio in men’s doubles and Johns with Waters in mixed. The supplied bracket snapshots do not establish a complete set of finished Round of 16 results in those two events, so their last-eight fixtures should not be presented as fully confirmed.

The Rematch That Gives Hong Kong Its Focus

Hong Kong’s first PPA Tour Asia 1500 has brought a strong international field to Kai Tak Arena for the 19–25 October season finale. Organisers have promoted up to US$1.1 million in professional prize money and payouts, with 1,500 ranking points available to champions. Those figures explain the scale of the event, but the results will determine its competitive significance.

The men’s quarter-finals now include a meeting between two established Asian-circuit champions, a confrontation between Haworth and Khlif after emphatic early performances, and Garnett against a Johnson who has just eliminated McGuffin. Christian and Castillo supply the most immediate rematch in the women’s draw.

Yet the most important story for the home crowd remains Wong’s opportunity against Staksrud.

Wong does not need to beat the Argentine to validate his successes in Asia. He has already won regional titles, led rankings and defeated world-class opposition. But the last time these two met, he had enough to win one game and enough to push the deciding game to 10-10. Staksrud had enough to finish it.

The scoreline from Hanoi has stayed with the fixture. Friday gives Wong a chance to replace it with a different result.

Sources and Results

• PPA Tour Asia: Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam event details
• PPA Tour Asia: Staksrud versus Wong, Hanoi Cup
• PPA Tour Asia: 2025 rankings
• PPA Tour Asia: Wong beats Garnett in Hangzhou
• PPA Tour Asia: Goldin’s Shenzhen title
• PPA Tour Asia: Shimabukuro’s Macao title
• Official Hong Kong Slam tournament brackets supplied for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Results reflect the supplied snapshots dated 22 October 2026.

Chris Beaumont

Founder and Editor-in-Chief

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…

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