Dsouza and Diwaskar dominate 40+ men's doubles at Picklebay Zonals

Rohan Dsouza and Himanshu Diwaskar ran through the 40+ men’s doubles draw at Picklebay Zonals - North, then finished it with a 15-4 rout of Naveen T and Sreekar on June 26 at The Horizon x Courtplay in Gurugram. Their title run was never close to slipping, with an 11-3 quarterfinal over Ayush Kwatra and Apoorv Vats followed by a 15-11 semifinal win over Akhil Mathur and Rachit Channana.

The final scoreline matched the way the pair controlled the bracket. Dsouza and Diwaskar were sharp enough to absorb pressure early, then pull away cleanly in the championship match, a pattern that has become increasingly important in age-group doubles, where court sense and anticipation often decide more rallies than raw pace. Their run added another veteran title to a North zonals field that is giving experienced players a prominent place alongside the open divisions.

That broader structure matters in Gurugram, where Picklebay Zonals - North ran from June 24 to 28 with 28 categories, a Rs 15 lakh prize purse and sanctioning from the Indian Pickleball Association as a PWR 700 event. Picklebay has positioned the tournament as the official selection event for Team India’s Open category at the Pickleball World Cup 2026, set for Da Nang, Vietnam, from August 30 to September 6, but the 40-plus results are helping show how much depth now sits below that pathway.

The veteran draws have already produced more than one headline result. Dhiren Patel won the 40+ Open men’s singles title on June 24, beating Himanshu Diwaskar in the final, while Nilesh Desai took the 50+ men’s singles crown with a 15-3 win over Raghavan Rocky. With seasoned players taking multiple titles across the first part of the event, the North zonals is looking less like a narrow selection stop and more like a full test of India’s growing pickleball base.

That is where Dsouza and Diwaskar’s 40+ doubles title lands with extra weight. A decisive final, a steady route through the bracket and a field packed with veteran and open categories all point to the same thing: the sport’s older competitors are no longer filling side events, they are helping set the pace for the tournament itself.