Teenager Snehal Patil clinches 4 gold medals
Indian contingent return with a rich haul of 29 medals
Mumbai, April 28: Snehal Patil from Jalgaon did the country proud by winning four gold medals in the recently concluded first Asia Pickleball Open-2022 organised by Asia Federation of Pickleball (AFP) and jointly hosted by the Thai Pickleball Association (TPA) and Pickleball Global (PG) and played at Thanyapura, Phuket in Thailand.
The 16-year-old Maharashtra player Snehal exhibited tremendous skills and won Gold medals in the Women’s 19+ singles in the Open category, the Women’s 19+ singles in the Advanced category, then along with teammate Vrushali Thakare, also from Jalgaon, she won the Women 19+ doubles in the Advanced category and then bagged mixed 19+ doubles crown in the Advance category along with partner Kuldip Mahajan to complete her haul of medals.
The Indian contingent selected by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) performed exceptionally well and returned with 29 medals from as many as 14 events in the recently concluded event. India clinched 12 golds, 8 silvers and 9 bronze medals. In the team event, the team won a silver medal.
AIPA Chairman, Arvind Prabhoo was proud of the splendid efforts of the Indian team. “I am proud and congratulate every member, coaches and support staff for winning so many medals. The hard work put in by the players during the preparatory camp has paid rich dividends. Besides skill training, each player had to undergo mental conditioning, strength conditioning and recovery sessions. They were put on a strict nutritious diet during the camp. I am confident that the talented Indian players with their exemplary skill on the court will soon make a mark in the world Pickleball stage,” Prabhoo mentioned.
The other Indian players who won gold medals were -- Aniket Durgawali (Men’s 19+ singles Advanced category), Himanshu Dewaskar (Men’s 19+ singles Intermediate category), Urvashi Jain (Women’s 19+ singles Intermediate category), Ajeet Bharadwaj (Men’s 50+ singles Advanced category) and the doubles pair of Yashodhan Deshmukh and Nikhil Mathure (Men’s 19+ doubles Intermediate category).
In the Women’s Open singles, Snehal played confidently and defeated compatriot Vrushali Thakare in two sets winning at 11-1, 11-5. Later, in the Women’s Advanced singles, Snehal proved far too superior for Australian Rebecca Kingsley and charged to a quick 11-6, 11-1 to clinch her second gold medal.
Snehal’s continued her hunt for gold medals and she and Vrushali combined perfectly to overcome the Singapore combination of Macy Guo and Michelle Lim in three well-contested sets in the Women 19+ Advanced doubles and win her third gold medal. The Indian pair started shakily and lost the first set, but they quickly found their touch and won the next two sets to complete a satisfying 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 win.
The Jalgaon-based Snehal completed a successful and rewarding tournament by also winning the Mixed Doubles Advanced crown. She and partner Kuldip Mahajan tamed the Singaporean pairing of Macy Gua and Ben Lim charging to a straight sets 11-3, 11-6 victory.
Results – Women 19+ Open Singles: Snehal Patil (IND) beat Vrushali Thakare (IND) 11-1, 11-5.
Women 19+ Advanced Singles: Snehal Patil (IND) beat Rebecca Kingsley (AUS) 11-6, 11-1.
Women 19+ Advanced Doubles: Snehal Patil/Vrushali Thakare (IND) beat Macy Guo/Michelle Lim (SIN) 9-11, 11-5, 11-5.
Mixed 19+ Advanced Doubles: Snehal Patil/Kuldip Mahajan (IND) beat Macy Gua/Lim (SIN) 11-3, 11-6.
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