Shimabukuro rewrites PPA Atlanta script as finals set for Championship Sunday

A 15-year-old has shifted the centre of attention in Atlanta, while established names remain firmly in position across the doubles and women’s draws heading into Championship Sunday.

Tama Shimabukuro reached his first PPA Tour final after beating the No. 3 seed
Connor Garnett and Roscoe Bellamy advanced to the men’s doubles final in their first event together
Finals are set across all five brackets, with familiar names still anchoring the weekend

Shimabukuro turns Atlanta into something else

By the end of Saturday, Tama Shimabukuro had rewritten the script in Atlanta.

The 15-year-old moved into his first men’s singles final with a three-game win over the No. 3 seed, closing 11-7, 8-11, 11-1. The scoreline captures the finish. The shift came earlier. Once the match tightened, he accelerated away from it.

The route matters as much as the result.

Shimabukuro did not arrive in the final through a quiet section of the draw. He came through established names in successive rounds before taking out a top-three seed. The progression was clear, and by the semi-final, the match was being played on his terms.

More telling was the shift around him. The crowd moved with him. What began as another PPA Saturday started to centre around one player.

He now faces Chris Haworth in Sunday’s final. The matchup is clean on paper: Haworth’s control against Shimabukuro’s pace and shot-making. Whether the match stays within that structure is the real question.

Garnett and Bellamy build a final out of instability

If Shimabukuro has shifted the feel of the singles draw, men’s doubles has followed a different pattern.

The bracket did not produce a clean finalist. It produced a pairing that handled disruption better than the rest.

Connor Garnett and Roscoe Bellamy reached the final in their first tournament together, beating Shimabukuro and Yuta Funemizu 11-8, 0-11, 11-6 in a semi-final that swung sharply.

The second game should have ended the match. Instead, they reset.

Both pairs had already taken out higher-seeded teams earlier in the week, so the semi-final came down to who could stabilise first. Garnett and Bellamy did that in the decider, re-establishing structure after losing it completely.

They now face Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio, who remain undefeated in 2026 and continue to anchor the top of the PPA Tour.

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This final is defined clearly. Garnett and Bellamy bring chemistry and momentum. Johns and Tardio bring control and repetition. One pairing thrives in movement. The other reduces it.

Women’s draws hold their shape

If the men’s doubles draw has been unstable, the women’s side has held its shape.

Anna Leigh Waters moved into the women’s singles final after navigating a three-game test earlier in the draw before reasserting control. She now faces Kate Fahey, who has progressed steadily but now meets the most consistent player in the field.

In women’s doubles, Waters and Anna Bright have been more decisive.

They reached the final with a straight-sets semi-final win over Rachel Rohrabacher and Catherine Parenteau, 11-4, 11-1. Once they establish position at the kitchen, matches tend to shorten quickly.

Their opponents, Jorja Johnson and Tyra Hurricane Black, have come through tighter matches, including a narrow win over Parris Todd and Fahey. They have had to solve problems. Bright and Waters have largely prevented them.

Mixed doubles sits between control and disruption

Mixed doubles sits somewhere between the two.

It has produced the most balanced final on the board.

Waters and Johns advanced with control, beating Rachel Rohrabacher and Christian Alshon 11-4, 11-2 in the semi-final. Across the bracket, they have not needed to recover from a significant dip.

Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin offer a different test.

They came through Catherine Parenteau and Gabriel Tardio to reach the final, a result that required sustained pressure rather than early separation. Patriquin’s ability to speed up exchanges gives them a route into the match that others have not found.

That contrast defines Sunday. One pairing removes variation. The other introduces it.

Championship Sunday — what now decides it

Men’s singles: Shimabukuro vs Haworth
If the match opens, Shimabukuro takes control. If it slows, Haworth has the edge.

Men’s doubles: Garnett/Bellamy vs Johns/Tardio
Momentum against structure. The longer rallies favour the top seeds.

Women’s singles: Waters vs Fahey
Fahey’s consistency meets Waters’ ability to raise level inside matches.

Women’s doubles: Bright/Waters vs Johnson/Black
One pairing dictates early. The other needs to extend.

Mixed doubles: Waters/Johns vs Bright/Patriquin
Control against disruption. The most balanced matchup of the five.

Shimabukuro has rewritten the script. Sunday decides how it ends.

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