Men’s singles madness: Top seed H. Johnson falls as Shimabukuro outduels Garnett
Two of the top 5 seeds in the men’s singles saw their campaigns come to an end on Wednesday in the Beehive State, as both Hunter Johnson and Connor Garnett fell in the Round of 32 at the Greater Zion Cup at Black Desert Resort.
Johnson, who won this event at a different venue in 2025, was knocked out by No. 28 seed JW Johnson, whose biggest accomplishment on the singles court came back in 2023 when he took gold at the National Championships.
Not twenty minutes later, 15-year-old sensation and No. 25 seed Tama Shimabukuro defeated No. 5 seed Connor Garnett by an 11-6, 5-11, 11-3 score line.
This marks Shimabukuro’s second victory over Garnett in as many tournaments, as he also won when they faced off two weeks ago at the Texas Open
“It means a lot,” he said afterwards. “Connor’s a great player, so I just tried to stick to my game plan and make balls.”
Shimabukuro will next face No. 9 seed John Lucian Goins in Thursday’s Round of 16, while Johnson will take on No. 13 seed Zane Ford.
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