New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) India ended the league stage of the team event at the Pickleball World Cup unbeaten after winning all three league stage matches against Antigua & Barbados, Israel and Czech Republic on Day 1 of the tournament at Da Nang, Vietnam.
The Indian pro squad, which features the likes of Harsh Mehta, Arjun Singh, Anish Froilan, Aman Patel, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Aaliya Ebrahim and Mihika Yadav, registered cakewalk wins in the league stage. India defeated Antigua and Barbuda and Israel with a scoreline of 6-0 each before making light work of the Czech Republic in the final match of the league stage in a 5-1 win. The ties had six matches each, with the games spanning across the women’s doubles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles 1, mixed doubles 2, women’s singles and men’s singles.
The Indian team will now be up against Portugal in the round of 32 on Friday.
Meanwhile, India captain Harsh reflected on the league stage. “The team morale is very high; we have started the tournament with positive energy and great results. Team members are all playing well, which is most important and hence the result. We are preparing mentally for eliminations tomorrow,” Harsh said.
Aalap Sharma, treasurer of the Indian Pickleball Association, called India’s success a “testament” to the commitment. “It was an exhilarating feeling during the parade, walking as part of the Indian delegation during the opening ceremony of the Pickleball World Cup 2026. Competing internationally brings natural pre-match nerves, but true champions are defined by their ability to rise above anxiety and deliver when it matters most.
“We are delighted to see our athletes embodying this spirit, performing with resilience, passion, and determination, and achieving victories that make the nation proud. Team India’s success is a testament to their commitment and the collective effort behind them. We look forward to their continued excellence as they showcase India’s growing strength in the sport of pickleball. Thanks to our sponsors Electrorush, Picklebay, Cosmic Birla Group and Lucknow Leopards for helping us through this journey,” Aalap said.
Led by IPA President Suryaveer Singh, the India Senior squad also finished strong on day 1 after defeating Germany and Nepal by 4-0 each. India have made their place in the round of 32.
“Extremely proud of all the individual performances until today and the spirit that the contingent has brought into the team event. We are currently in 4th place on the medal tally, and we are confident that we will move a few places if this momentum continues.” Suryaveer said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the event, India accumulated 37 medals with 6 golds, 16 silvers and 15 bronze medals, and the contingent is in fourth position in the medal tally. Here’s the list of medal winners.
Vishal Choudhary & Siddharth Reddy – <4.5 40+ Mens doubles – Gold
Ajeet Bhardwaj and Vasudevan Kothandaraman -60+ men’s doubles – Bronze
Bhushan Akut & Ashok Rohira 60+ men’s doubles-4.5 – Gold
Bhushan Akut – men’s singles 60+ 4.0 – Gold
Ashok Rohira – men’s singles – 60+ 4.0 – Silver
Nikhil and Vignesh 30+ Men’s Doubles 4.5 – Silver
Sreekar and Vivek Reddy 40+ Men’s Doubles – 4.5 – Bronze
Vishal and Siddharth – 40+ for <4.5 category – Bronze
Kiran – Men’s Singles 50+ ( 4-4.5) – Silver
Sanjana Sirimalla – women’s doubles 4.5 – Silver medal
Naveen Tummala – 50+ men’s singles – 3.5 to 4.0 category – Bronze
Lokesh Bhavsar – men’s 30+ singles below 4.0 – Silver
Roshan Mishra – men’s singles 30+ below 4.0 – Bronze
Kiaan Contractor – men’s singles 4.5 – Silver
Eswaran Annamalai – 60+ men’s Singles 3.5 – Bronze
Raghav Mallik – 60+ men’s singles 3.5 – Silver
Rocky Raghavan: 50+ 3.5 and above – mixed doubles – Bronze
Siddharth Reddy and Fayrouz Zaidi 40+ 4.0 – 4.5 mixed Doubles – Silver
Bhushan Akut(India) – 60+ 4.5 mixed Doubles – Gold
Vishal Choudhary – 40+ mixed Doubles <4.5 – Bronze
Vivek Reddy – 40+ men’s Singles >4.5 – Gold
Shaks Devnani – 60+ women’s singles >4.5 – Bronze
Neha Arora – 40+ women’s Singles < 4 – Silver
Fayrouz Zaidi – 40+ women’s Singles < 4.5 – Gold
Sanjana Sirimalla – Open women’s Singles < 5 – Silver
Prashanti Lakamsani – 50+ women’s Singles < 4 – Silver
Petulia Balaji – Women’s Singles 60+-3.0 – Silver
Harsh Mehta – Pro Men’s Doubles Open – Bronze
–IANS
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