Published: June 19, 2026 at 9:46 am
Rishik Dundigalla reaped a rich harvest of medals at the 2nd South Zone Pickleball Championship 2026 which was held at the Hub Pickleball in Kompally recently.
Players from the five south states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala participated in the event which was held under the auspices of the Sports Authority of Telangana (SATG) and the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA).
Rishik, who is a tennis player and has represented the state at the Under-12 and Under-14 categories, was playing his first pickleball tournament. The youngster took to the game as a fish takes to the water. He claimed a gold, a silver and three bronze medals in his maiden pickleball championship.
Rishik bags gold with Surya Teja
Rishik teamed up with Surya Teja to win the gold medal in the Under-14 boys’ doubles event. Rishik and Teja defeated another Telangana pair of Sega Dhanwanth and Shivansh 15-9 to lay their hands on the yellow metal.
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Rishik’s silver medal came in the Under-12 boys’ doubles category. Rishik and Subhikshan lost the final to Karnataka’s Hitvik and Srihari.
Rishik also had to settle for a bronze medal in the Under-16 boys’ doubles. Rishik and Surya Teja lost to state mates Bhargav Krishna and Vincent in the semifinals to end up with the bronze medal.
Rishi wins two bronze medals in singles
The youngster bagged two bronze medals in the singles categories. Rishik lost the Under-12 boys’ semifinal to Tamil Nadu’s Shresta Manohar to settle for the bronze medal.
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In the Under-14 boys’ singles too, Rishik went down to Sega Dhanwanth in the semifinal to end up with a bronze medal.
Rishik, who is ranked among the top four players in tennis, had picked up the paddle to check his skills in the new game. He had practiced at Game On – The Pickleball Arena in Hasmathpet and proved that his skills were good enough to garner five medals in his first pickleball tournament.
Dr A Sonibala Devi, vice chairperson & managing director, Sports Authority of Telangana, gifted Rishik a new pickleball paddle when the player had met her in her office.
Medals: Singles: Under-12 bronze, Under-14 bronze.
Doubles: Under-14 gold, Under-12 silver and Under-16 bronze.
