Merchant, Belwal Edge 15–14 Thriller to Win Split-Age Doubles in Kolkata

Raquib Marchant and Rahul Belwal held off Tejas Gulati and Sreekar Mothukuri 15–14 to capture the Split-Age Men’s Doubles crown at the Ultimate Pickleball Showdown in Kolkata. The one-point margin came after a tense finish in what the coverage called a back-and-forth affair, and Marchant and Belwal completed a turnaround after their earlier league-stage loss to the same opponents. "Momentum shifted repeatedly in one of the tournament’s closest matches, but Marchant and Belwal held steady in the decisive stages to complete a turnaround after their earlier league-stage loss to the same opponents."

The five-day event ran from February 11 to 15 in Kolkata and fielded multiple age and professional divisions. "Held from February 11 to 15, the Ultimate Pickleball Showdown brought together emerging and experienced talent across categories, reinforcing its status as a key domestic event on the Indian pickleball calendar." The Split-Age final was highlighted among several competitive finals across Split-Age, 30+, and Pro categories.

Rahul Belwal emerged as the standout multi-event performer, collecting titles across divisions. Belwal partnered Vinay Sethia to a 15–6 victory over Dhiren Patel and Rishabh Gupta in the 30+ Men’s Doubles final, a match played at the Calcutta South Club where "The two controlled the rallies early, maintained pressure, and secured key points, comfortably winning the final at the Calcutta South Club." Belwal then added the 30+ Mixed Doubles gold with Amrita Mukherjee, beating Anay Patil and Danielle Jones 15–12; coverage noted that "Belwal was back at the podium when he joined hands with Amrita Mukherjee in the 30+ Mixed Doubles final. The two beat Anay Patil and Danielle Jones 15-12 in a well-fought match. Despite pressure in the game, Belwal and Mukherjee remained calm and won key rallies to secure the gold."

Danielle Jones left Kolkata with mixed results on her ledger and multiple podium appearances. Jones teamed with Arunava Majumder to win the Pro Mixed Doubles title 15–12 over Shreya Chakraborty and Anay Patil, where "The match was close the whole time, but Majumder's sharp shots and Jones' quick hands at the net won the title in the last few points." Jones was also listed as the 30+ Women’s Singles champion by walkover against Aditi Nahata.

Social reaction on Instagram celebrated the Split-Age winners, posting: "Age is Just a Number. Chemistry is Everything. Congratulations to Raquib Merchant & Rahul Belwal for winning the Split Age Men's Doubles" alongside event images. Reporting notes show inconsistent name spellings in source material: the winner’s surname appears as both "Raquib Marchant" and "Raquib Merchant," and Vinay’s surname appears as both "Setia" and "Sethia" in headlines and body copy. The supplied Original Report is truncated mid-sentence, ending “with Marchant/Bel,” and only the 30+ Men’s Doubles final is explicitly tied to the Calcutta South Club in the excerpts.

Belwal’s three titles at the Showdown and the razor-thin Split-Age final underscore a widening domestic competitive depth across age brackets, while Kolkata’s hosting and Calcutta South Club’s staging of at least one final point to growing venue readiness for multi-day pickleball events. Further verification of name spellings and full match sheets is pending to complete the official record.