Johnson and Shimabukuro Rally to World Doubles Title

JW Johnson and Tama Shimabukuro won the men's doubles title at the 2026 Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, staging a dramatic five-game comeback in Farmers Branch, Texas. The final at Brookhaven Country Club ran over two hours before the No. 4 seeds sealed a deciding-game win, 11-4, against Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu.

Five games, a two-hour shift

Alshon and Daescu, the No. 3 seeds, looked in full control after taking the first two games comfortably, riding the momentum from a semifinal win over top seeds Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio. They had led that match 7-1 in Game 1 and 9-0 in Game 2. The final began in the same vein, with Alshon and Daescu racing to commanding 11-5, 11-5 leads.

Johnson and Shimabukuro steadied themselves, aided by a very supportive, energetic crowd at the Texas venue. Shimabukuro gained more confidence as the match wore on, and the partnership forced a decider on Championship Sunday in the Lone Star State.

First title, deepest comeback

The championship was the first won by Johnson and Shimabukuro as a partnership, and it came on the biggest points stage: the World Championships carried 3,000 ranking points, the most on the PPA calendar.

Shimabukuro, who grew in confidence as the match progressed, described Johnson's late push. The victory turned a two-game deficit into their first world crown together.