Pune Hosts Picklebay Zonals West, Four Singles Champions Crowned on Day One

Four singles titles were settled on the opening day of the Picklebay Zonals West as the PWR 700 tournament, sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association, got underway at Dink in Hinjewadi, Pune on Monday.

Aarush Nitture, Bhumika Tripathi, Nitten Kirrtane and Harshal Jadhav each claimed gold in their respective divisions, setting an early competitive tone for a six-day competition that runs through March 15 and carries a prize pool of Rs 15 lakh.

Nitture took the Intermediate Men's Singles crown to announce himself as one of the early standouts of the tournament. Kirrtane, competing in the over-50 bracket, secured the 50 Men's Singles title, while Jadhav claimed the Beginner Men's Singles gold. Tripathi added a fourth title on the day, completing the sweep of opening-day singles finals across different skill and age divisions.

The scale of the event underlines how seriously western India is taking the sport. Nearly 700 participants are expected to compete across more than 25 categories before the tournament concludes on March 15, with players spanning multiple age groups and ability levels converging on the Hinjewadi venue.

The breadth of divisions on offer, from beginner to age-group masters, reflects what organizers describe as the growing depth of pickleball talent across the western region. With five days of competition remaining and the prize pool still largely up for grabs, the tournament's later rounds should clarify which of Monday's champions can sustain their form against the field.