Clad in a pink outfit and wearing her white CourtStrike Pro 2.0s, Emerging Pro Kiora Kunimoto shook hands with No. 2 seed Brooke Buckner on Championship Court today—this time as the winner, for the first time in five battles. The 17-year-old earned the victory in a three-game thriller, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, and is now responsible for knocking out two of the top seeds at the Indoor National Championships this week in subzero Lakeville, Minnesota. Just yesterday, Kunimoto upset No. 6 seed Zoey Wang, 11-1, 11-1. Tomorrow, she will go up against No. 3 seed Lea Jansen for the first time, with a chance to reach Championship Sunday.
Who is Kiora Kunimoto?
Kiora Kunimoto seems like a force that came out of nowhere. However, she is a decorated tennis player and the 2025 Hawaiʻi State High School Tennis Singles Champion—the third-ever state champion from the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.
Kunimoto’s dad is a pickleball coach in her hometown of Hilo, Hawaiʻi. Naturally, she decided to give it a go in January 2025, took a break to finish her tennis season in May, and entered her first professional pickleball tournament in June 2025. Three months later, she signed with the PPA Tour.
One to Watch
Now approaching the one-year mark since she began playing pickleball, Kunimoto is surely one to watch in the sport. She has had major success on the PPA Challenger Tour, winning numerous gold medals in both doubles and singles, and those achievements are now translating to the PPA Tour as well.
Keep an eye out for Kunimoto on Pickleball TV tomorrow to see her make her maiden debut in the PPA Semifinals!
