IPA Nationals 2025: Prapti Baruah and Nayeem Hussain Clinch First U-16 Doubles Title for Assam
IPA Nationals, 2025, Bengaluru: Prapti Baruah and Nayeem Hussain from Assam secured their first title in the U-16 women’s doubles category at the IPA Nationals after a commanding straight-game win over the Madhya Pradesh duo in the finals held at The Sports School, Bengaluru, on Friday.
The IPA Nationals 2025, organised by the Karnataka Pickleball Association (KPA) and sanctioned by the IPA – the National Sports Federation for pickleball, marks a historic milestone as India’s first-ever PWR2000 World Ranking Event. As the tournament heads into its second day, the championships continue to deliver intense matchups and high-quality competition. Running from November 13-16, the event promises action-packed performances across categories.
From the opening rallies, Prapti and Nayeem took firm control of the contest, relying on sharp placements and swift net play to keep their opponents constantly under pressure. Their strong coordination and composed execution helped them close out the match with an 11-6 scoreline in the final game.
The victory marks a significant step forward for the Assam pair, who have been steadily rising through the junior ranks. Their performance reflects not just technical skill but also growing maturity on the national stage. With this title, Prapti and Nayeem have firmly positioned themselves as emerging talents to watch in India’s rapidly expanding pickleball circuit.
In an exclusive conversation with Pickleball Now, the Madhya Pradesh duo opened up on loosing in the finals, and their future aspirations.
“It feels unreal, honestly like a dream,” The duo reflects on clinching silver at IPA.
Speaking about the sport’s growth in their home state, they shared, “Pickleball is quite famous in MP. The entire team is from Indore. In fact, there are a lot of coaches, which is why people in MP want to play pickleball.”
Discussing the level of competition, they added, “It was very difficult. The competition was really tough. There were many players with diverse techniques. Watching them helped us learn a lot, because we saw different styles and different ways to play.”
Ashriyaa further said, “The movement and the chemistry between players really taught us how we need to practice more later. It was very difficult.”
With their eyes set on global platforms, both players expressed their dream of debuting internationally, “We hope to feature in the US Open.”
On areas to improve, one of them shared, “I think we need to improve our mindset. We shouldn’t get angry while playing. We should stay energetic. And this credit goes to my coach, he has taught us how to build our mindset.”
Highlighting the role of their mentor, the duo said, “He watches our pep talks before every match. He gives us confidence. Even after the match, even if we lose, he teaches us what to learn. We first talk about what we learned, and then we talk about what we did wrong and how we can fix it.”
With their first silver at the Nationals. Both Aanshi and Ashriyaa will feature in their respective singles category later today.
About Indian Pickleball Association:
The Indian Pickleball Association is the official governing body for pickleball in India and is dedicated to promoting, developing, and organising the sport across the country. The association continues to inspire players of all ages and skill levels to embrace the game through events like the IPA Nationals. IPA is affiliated with the Asian Pickleball Association (APA) and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF).
About Pickleball World Ranking:
PWR is a national ranking system that spans all age groups, skill divisions, and formats -including singles, doubles, and mixed categories. It serves as the official National Sports Federation Ranking for India. With multiple sanctioned events taking place every week across the country, PWR defines the top Indian players at every level and forms the foundation for team selection at the school, district, state, and national stages.
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