Mumbai, Oct 26 (IANS) Aarush Nitture and Aahana Punjabi emerged victorious in the Open Men's Singles and the Women's Singles events at the Maharashtra State Trials as several players showcased their talent for state selection trials.

The event took place over three days on October 23, 24 and 25 across different categories. Aditya Singh and Arjun Singh emerged victorious in the Open Men's Doubles event, while Naomi Amalsadiwala and Pearl Amalsadiwala claimed the Open Women’s Doubles title at the Andheri Sports Complex by the Maharashtra Pickleball Association.

The Maharashtra Pickleball Association President Rahool Kanal reflected on the tournament, stating that the results have proven that the state possesses talent in the sport. "The results reflected the breadth of participation and the competitive spirit driving the sport forward in Maharashtra, with over 1000 participants. This is a testament to the efforts of the Maharashtra Pickleball Association at the grassroots level.

"Congratulations to all the winners and the participants. We are confident that Maharashtra will make a strong statement at the national pickleball championships. Lastly, this would not be possible without our partners, Anant Seva Foundation, Kokilaben Hospital & Global Sports and MPA thanks all our partners for making this possible," Kanal said.

Aditya and Arjun sealed the title in the Men's Doubles final after beating Stavya Bhasin and Ammol Ramchandani, while Maitreya Bhagat and Anay Patil finished third. In the Women's Doubles, Naomi and Pearl won the final after beating Urvi Abhyankar and Aahana.

In the singles events, Aarush won the Open Men's Singles title ahead of Yash Gaikwad as Achintya Verma came third. In the women's singles, Aahana won the title, while Snehal Patil was second. Arjun Singh and Naomi Amalsadiwala won the mixed doubles title as Pearl and Ammol finished second.

Speaking on the contests. Maharashtra Pickleball Association Secretary Hemal Jain highlighted that the tournament showed strong talent. "With champions crowned across the open, veteran and junior categories, the tournament concluded with a strong showcase of talent and sporting ambition, underlining the importance of state-level competitions in nurturing players and strengthening the competitive pathway for the next generation.

"Maharashtra Pickleball Association is proud of the work that has gone into the development of pickleball over the past year and the competitiveness of these trials is the best showcase of that," Jain said.

Rohan Dsouza and Himanshu Dewaskar won the Men's Doubles in the 30+ category, while Vishal Jadhav claimed the Men’s Singles title. The Women's Doubles title went to Roma Dutia and Sindoor Mittal, while Priyanka Mehta clinched the singles event.

The 40+ category saw Deepak Jumani and Kunal Solanki clinch the Men's Doubles event, while the Men's Singles title went to Prakash Vibhute. Sindoor Mittal and Priyanka Mehta won the Women's Doubles, whereas Gayatri Mewada emerged victorious in Women’s Singles. Sindoor Mittal and Priyanka Mehta won the Mixed Doubles event.

Nozer Amalsadiwala and Kiran Salian clinched the 50+ category Men's Doubles title, as Atin Sharma won the Men's Singles crown. The Mixed Doubles title went to Deepak Jumani and Sujay Parekh, while the Women's Doubles title was won by Deepak Jumani and Sujay Parekh. Deepak Jumani and Sujay Parekh won the Women's Singles title.

In the 60+ category, Thakurdas Rohira and Bhushan Akut emerged victorious in the Men's Doubles, while Bhushan Akut won the Men's Singles title.

Players were also in action in the Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 categories. Aarin Ballani won the Boys’ Singles title in the U12 category, while Veer Vishal Chugh and Aarin Ballani won in the Boys’ Doubles. Vidisha Shinde emerged victorious in the Girls' Singles, while Hiral Patil and Vidisha Shinde secured Girls’ Doubles.

Kaveer Mehta won Boys’ Singles in the U14 category, while he won the Boys' Doubles with Trilok Sundaresan. The Girls' Singles in the U14 category went to Ira Shreejesh Ayathan, while Praathnaa Motiani and Vidisha Vijay Shinde won the Girls’ Doubles.

In the U16 category, Kaveer Mehta won the Boys’ Singles, as Nirvair Bhan and Shlok Gaba took the Boys’ Doubles. Sanjana Varun Chopra emerged victorious in the Girls’ Singles, and she won the Girls' Doubles title with Praathnaa Motiani. Shlok Gaba and Evana Mankani won Mixed Doubles. In Under-18, Shlok Gaba won Boys’ Singles, while Arjun Singh and Aditya Singh claimed the Boys’ Doubles title. Evana Mankani and Shlok Gaba emerged champions in Mixed Doubles.

The Maharashtra state team for the National Championship will be selected based on the results of the state selection trials.

--IANS

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