MUMBAI: Indian pickleball athletes have showcased their prowess at the recently concluded US Pickleball Championships with a combined haul of 3 golds, 3 silvers and 4 bronze medals in various categories.
The event was held in Naples, Florida from April 14- 20 and over 11 athletes from India were supported by Global Sports to be a part of the US Open Pickleball Championships.
The three golds were won by Stavya Bhasin, Dhiren Patel and Hemal Jain in the Junior Singles, Men’s Singles 5.0 and Men’s Singles 3.5 respectively. Stavya Bhasin, the most prolific player of the tournament, bagged a total of 4 medals with a silver in Men’s Doubles 5.0 and a pair of bronze in the Junior Men’s Doubles and Junior Mixed Doubles.
Ronav Motiani, a Next Gen player sponsored by Global Sports also took home a total of 3 medals, a pair of silvers in the Men’s Doubles 5.0 and Junior Singles and a bronze in the Junior Men’s Doubles Category. The last bronze was won by Himanshu Dewaskar in the Men’s Singles 5.0 category bringing the final Indian medal tally to a 10.
Other notable performances from the Indian contingent are Harsh Mehta and Arman Bhatia who came 5th in the Men’s Pro Doubles.
"This is without a doubt one of the biggest Pickleball Championships in the world and to be able to come back with 10 medals is testament to the growth of serious pickleball talent in India. I am happy to be able to win the Gold in the Men’s Singles 3.5 category and look forward to continued results. Congratulations to the entire contingent and as a partner at Global Sports, we are extremely proud to be doing our bit and are confident for bigger medal hauls in the upcoming events, ” said, Hemal Jain, Gold, Men’s Singles 3.5 and Partner, Global Sports.
The US Open Pickleball Championships have a total participation of over 3000 players spanning across 29 countries ranging from 8 years old to 88. It is deemed the most prestigious pickleball tournament in the world.