Copyright timesnownews
In a proud moment for Indian pickleball, 14-year-old Anushka Chhabria made history by winning the bronze medal in the Under-34 Women’s Singles (3.5) category at the Pickleball World Cup 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, becoming the youngest Indian ever to stand on the World Cup podium. Her achievement came just a day after her father, Vijay Chhabria, scripted history of his own. Vijay clinched India’s first-ever gold medal at the Pickleball World Cup, dominating John Singleton 21–8 in the Men’s Singles 35+ (3.5) final to open a new chapter for Indian pickleball on the global stage. For Anushka, the road to the medal was anything but easy. Competing in a category stacked with older and more experienced opponents, she had to win every group game to qualify. Her resilience shone through, particularly in a hard-fought 21-18 victory over Anabelle Castagne, which sealed her spot on the podium. At just 14, Anushka showed maturity beyond her years and stayed calm and composed under pressure, which was her biggest strength on the day and pulled off a win to finish third. India at the World Cup- Day 1 Vijay Chabbria - Gold in 35+ Men's Singles 3.5 Nitten Kirrtane - Gold in 50+ Men's Singles Open category Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Mittal - Silver in Women's Open Doubles 5.0 Dhiren Patel - Silver in Men's 35+ Singles 5.0 Nilesh Desai - Gold in Men's 50+ Singles 4.5 Dev Shah - Gold in Men's Singles Under 34 5.0 Indian squad for the Pickleball World Cup 2025: Open Category Men’s Singles: Aman Patel Women’s Singles: Amrita Mukherjee Men’s Doubles: Dhiren Patel and Suraj Desai Women’s Doubles: Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Mittal Under-16 Category Girls: Aayra Khanna and Anushka Chhabaria Boys: Veer Shah and Jeet Sood 50+ Category Men’s Doubles: Suryaveer Singh Bhullar and Nitten Kirtane Women’s Doubles: Bela Kotwani and Sujay Parekh About Indian Pickleball Association: The Indian Pickleball Association is the official governing body for pickleball in India and is dedicated to promoting, developing, and organising the sport across the country. The association continues to inspire players of all ages and skill levels to embrace the game through events like the IPA Nationals. IPA is affiliated with the Asian Pickleball Association (APA) and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF). About Pickleball World Ranking: PWR is a national ranking system that spans all age groups, skill divisions, and formats -including singles, doubles, and mixed categories. It serves as the official National Sports Federation Ranking for India. With multiple sanctioned events taking place every week across the country, PWR defines the top Indian players at every level and forms the foundation for team selection at the school, district, state, and national stages. Stay connected with all the latest news on Pickleball, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, tips, and inspiration you won't find anywhere else. Your ultimate destination for all things pickleball – where the community comes together for news, views, and the sport that's sweeping the globe. Follow us at @pickleballnow on Instagram and be part of the community!
