Jack Munro and Sofia Sewing each won multiple golds at the Skechers Japan Open in Tokyo, while Nasa Hatakeyama took singles bronze.
The short answer: Jack Munro and Sofia Sewing each won multiple titles at the APP’s Skechers Japan Open in Tokyo. Munro took men’s doubles with Richard Livornese Jr. and mixed with Sewing, who also won women’s doubles with Megan Fudge but lost the singles final to Kat Stewart. Japan’s Nasa Hatakeyama won men’s singles bronze.
The Association of Pickleball Players successfully executed the second stage of its 2026 international expansion, hosting the Skechers Japan Open in Tokyo to showcase high-level competition between established travelling professionals and regional Asian challengers. The tournament belonged to the exceptional performances of American athletes Jack Munro and Sofia Sewing, who each secured multiple gold medals and dictated the tactical pace of the event. Their dominance underscored the rigorous standard currently set by North American professionals while providing crucial developmental exposure for the local player base.
This event, following closely on the heels of the Malaysian Open, represents a deliberate strategy by the organisation to cultivate the Asian market and establish a truly global competitive circuit. By bringing top-tier domestic talent into international venues, the tour is actively accelerating the technical and strategic development of regional players who rarely have the opportunity to face such high-level opposition.
The professional doubles divisions were heavily commanded by the North American competitors. Jack Munro established himself as the premier male athlete of the tournament, securing the men’s professional doubles championship alongside Richard Livornese Jr., ultimately defeating Aidan Schenk and Zach Marceau in the final. Munro further cemented his dominance by partnering with Sofia Sewing to capture the mixed professional doubles gold medal, systematically dismantling the opposition and securing their second consecutive international title as a pairing.
Sewing’s performance nearly culminated in a prestigious triple crown. In addition to her mixed doubles victory, she partnered with Megan Fudge to secure the women’s professional doubles title, overcoming the formidable duo of Bobbi Oshiro and Kat Stewart in a contested final. However, Sewing’s bid for a sweep was halted in the women’s professional singles final, where Stewart reversed the outcome of their previous meeting in Malaysia to claim the gold medal.
Despite the stronghold maintained by the travelling professionals, several regional athletes delivered notable performances. In the men’s professional singles division, Japanese star Nasa Hatakeyama secured a bronze medal, defeating Casey Diamond after top-seeded Dusty Boyer claimed the overall title. Regional talent also pressured the late stages of the doubles brackets; the Hong Kong pairing of Hong Kit Wong and Joshua Yoo challenged top seeds in the men’s quarterfinals, while Taiwan’s Yu-Chieh Hsieh and Japan’s Rika Fujiwara demonstrated considerable skill against the elite North American women.
What’s the score?
The Japan Open explicitly quantified the current hierarchical structure of international pickleball, demonstrating that while the elite North American professionals remain tactically and technically superior, the Asian developmental pipeline is producing athletes capable of reaching the podium and pressuring established stars in late-stage tournament rounds.
The world Pickleball magazine verdict
The Skechers Japan Open successfully delivered on its dual mandate: showcasing elite professional talent while testing the boundaries of international regional development. The multiple title victories by Jack Munro and Sofia Sewing affirm their status as formidable forces on the global stage, operating at a level that currently outpaces the international field.
Frequently asked questions
Dusty Boyer. Japan’s Nasa Hatakeyama took bronze.
Kat Stewart, beating Sofia Sewing in the final.
Jack Munro and Sofia Sewing.
Further reading
- Latest pickleball news
- Tournament coverage, schedules, and results
- APP Tour updates and international stops
- Rankings and player profiles
- Pickleball growth and development across Asia
External reference: Association of Pickleball Players official tour website
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine, published by World Pickleball Media Ltd. He follows the global game closely, reporting on news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball…
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