2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship Recap
Lauren and I were incredibly excited to organize the 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship, the first tournament in Hawaii dedicated entirely to singles pickleball. While some tournaments include singles divisions, our goal was to create a true singles championship format where every match is played best two out of three games, win by two, giving players a fair and competitive environment to test their skills.
This year, 30 players from across Hawaii competed in the event. Considering the extreme weather the entire state experienced that week — heavy rain, strong winds, and widespread power outages — we were fortunate that the tournament still started and finished on schedule.
What followed was a day full of competitive matches, impressive athleticism, and great battles across multiple divisions. Below is a recap of the tournament and some of the standout matches we had the chance to watch.
Why Did We Choose to Organize a Singles Pickleball Tournament?
Being part of the Hawaii pickleball community, we often hear players say they would love to compete in singles. While some tournaments may include a singles division, there has never been a tournament in Hawaii dedicated entirely to singles pickleball.
One reason is that singles events usually attract fewer players, and from an organizer’s perspective, they generate about half the revenue per court compared to doubles, which is why most tournaments focus primarily on doubles divisions.
That said, Lauren and I thought — why not organize the kind of tournament people keep talking about? At worst, if there wasn’t enough interest, the event simply wouldn’t happen.
To our surprise, the response was great. Thirty players registered across five categories, which was enough to move forward and make the 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship a reality.
Weather Challenges Leading Up to the Tournament
This was another challenging tournament for us to organize. Last year, when we hosted the Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Doubles Championship in August, a hurricane was approaching Hawaii. This year brought a different kind of challenge.
In the days leading up to the tournament, Hawaii experienced extremely strong winds and heavy rain that caused widespread power outages and flooding across the islands. On Oahu alone, where we organized the Singles Championship, more than 150,000 people lost power.
Because of the rain, we had already decided to move the tournament indoors. However, just before the event, the gym also lost power, and for a moment we were not even sure the tournament would be able to take place.
Fortunately, the electricity came back on at the gym early in the morning, allowing us to move forward as planned.
There were still a few additional challenges. Some players were unable to make it to the tournament due to road conditions and the severe weather, which was completely understandable. However, this created a last-minute curveball for us since all the brackets and draws had already been prepared. We had to adjust several brackets right as the matches were about to begin, but in the end, everything came together, and the tournament was able to run smoothly.
The Results of the 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship
Despite the challenging weather conditions leading up to the event, the tournament delivered great matches and strong performances across the divisions. Below are the results from the Men’s 5.0 division, which featured some of the highest-level singles play of the day.
Men’s 5.0
🥇 1st Place: Luke Lorenz
🥈 2nd Place: Max Tavepholhalern
🥉 3rd Place: Matteo Odone
Men’s 4.0 Results – 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship
🥇 1st Place: Kash Lee
🥈 2nd Place: Connor Lopes
🥉 3rd Place: Jerry Woo
Women’s 3.5 Results – 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship
🥇 1st Place: Stephanie Campbell
🥈 2nd Place: Kandee Almond
🥉 3rd Place: Kaulana Kanno
Men’s 3.5 Results – 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship
🥇 1st Place: Kanoa Medina
🥈 2nd Place: Eric Uyeda
🥉 3rd Place: Dominik Hroch
Men’s 3.0 Results – 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship
🥇 1st Place: Francis Chang
🥈 2nd Place: Dominik Hroch
🥉 3rd Place: David Doi
Join Us for Our Next Tournaments
If you enjoyed the 2026 Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Singles Championship, we invite you to join us for our upcoming summer events.
Registration is now open for the Hawaii Pickleball Open™ Doubles Championship and the Mixed Doubles Championship taking place during the summer of 2026.
We expect great competition and another fun tournament atmosphere. Spots are limited, so we recommend registering early to secure your place.
Pictures from Hawaii Pickleball Open Singles Championship
