diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
index 88692ad0612..53d5db5a0ad 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
@@ -1208,6 +1208,52 @@ testCases:
 `)
 
 var strategicMergePatchRawTestCases = []StrategicMergePatchRawTestCase{
+	{
+		Description: "nested patch merge with empty list",
+		StrategicMergePatchRawTestCaseData: StrategicMergePatchRawTestCaseData{
+			Original: []byte(`
+name: hi
+`),
+			Current: []byte(`
+name: hi
+mergingList:
+- name: hello2
+`),
+			Modified: []byte(`
+name: hi
+mergingList:
+- name: hello
+- $patch: delete
+  name: doesntexist
+`),
+			TwoWay: []byte(`
+mergingList:
+- name: hello
+- $patch: delete
+  name: doesntexist
+`),
+			ThreeWay: []byte(`
+$setElementOrder/mergingList:
+- name: hello
+- name: doesntexist
+mergingList:
+- name: hello
+- $patch: delete
+  name: doesntexist
+`),
+			TwoWayResult: []byte(`
+name: hi
+mergingList:
+- name: hello
+`),
+			Result: []byte(`
+name: hi
+mergingList:
+- name: hello
+- name: hello2
+`),
+		},
+	},
 	{
 		Description: "delete items in lists of scalars",
 		StrategicMergePatchRawTestCaseData: StrategicMergePatchRawTestCaseData{