Pickleball World Cup: India remain unbeaten at end of league stage, win six gold medals

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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