Staksrud and Patriquin Beat Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio for Hong Kong Slam Gold
Andrew LeeFederico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin are the men's doubles champions at the PPA Asia 1500 Hong Kong Slam. The No. 2 seeds beat No. 1 seeds Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio 11-6, 11-8 in the final.
It is a repeat of a result from a year ago. The Pickle Base notes that Staksrud (Argentina) and Patriquin (USA) also beat Johns (USA) and Tardio (Bolivia) in the Worlds 2025 semifinals, one year earlier. The event's champion graphic carries a matching line: "One Year Later".
The Paddle Behind the Silver
Tardio and Johns took silver. Facolos posted that Tardio played the EliteX V2 Signature paddle from the first round through the final. Its caption reads: "Not the top step. Not the last word."
Ahead of his semifinal, Facolos described the paddle's Dynamic Shape face as wider, with a lower sweet spot sitting closer to the handle, which the brand says helps Tardio keep control in fast exchanges at the net, on flicks and counters. After the final it called the result "just one chapter" and teased an upcoming EliteX V2 Signature Gabe Tardio paddle, tuned to his playing style. Those descriptions are the brand's own.
The Hong Kong Slam is part of PPA Tour Asia's 2026 calendar, run under the Hang Seng Bank title.
This article is based on social media posts and historical data tracked by Pickle361.
