Tej dominates Arihant 11-2 to win Chennai PWR 200 title

Tej turned the men’s intermediate singles final at the Dinked PWR 200 into a statement win, overwhelming Arihant 11-2 in Chennai to claim one of the clearest scorelines of the tournament. The result did more than add a title to Tej’s name. It suggested a player who is starting to separate himself from the pack.

From the opening points, Tej controlled the match with aggressive net play and steady baseline returns, the combination that kept Arihant from ever finding rhythm. The final never developed into the kind of back-and-forth contest that often defines mid-tier knockout play. Instead, Tej dictated tempo, attacked at the right moments, and forced Arihant into a defensive role that never changed.

That mattered because the Dinked PWR 200 was not a small local stop. Held on April 18-19, the event carried Rs 1,00,000 in prize money and drew players from across Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. In a city increasingly described as a pickleball hub, Chennai delivered a tournament that looked built to test depth, not just reward participation.

Tej’s singles title also came amid a broader weekend of results that showed just how structured the competition had become. Times Now’s roundup reported that Tej added the intermediate doubles crown with Sai Kiran after a hard-fought win over Prajwel and Abhishek Hegde, giving him a second title and reinforcing the sense that his game translated across formats. Multiple finals across categories, including women’s doubles and mixed doubles, underscored the scale of the event.

The bigger backdrop is what makes the result even more relevant. The Indian Pickleball Association, recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as the official governing body for pickleball in India, has said the country will host the Pickleball Asia Cup 2025. The IPA also says it is affiliated with the Global Pickleball Federation, adding institutional weight to events like Dinked and to the players climbing through them.

For Tej, the 11-2 final was more than a routine title. It was a clean, decisive performance that pointed to a player ready to move faster through India’s domestic brackets, with Chennai now looking like a place where that rise can begin in public.