Indian pickleball star Armaan Bhatia settled for a historic silver medal at the highly competitive 2025 APP Vlasic Classic – a top-rated APP Tour event – in Cincinnati on Sunday.Bhatia, the top-ranked men’s singles player from India, lost to second seeded Grayson Goldin of the US 15-11, 11-15, 8-15 in the final.
Yet, he created history by becoming the first Indian man to earn a podium finish on the APP Tour, the professional pickleball tour, on American soil. The 26-year-old Indian player started strong in his first appearance in an APP Tour final, winning the opening game with a comprehensive margin of 15-11. He forced Goldin to dig deep, but the American pickler staged a great comeback to win the second game 15-11, forcing a decider.
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In the crucial third game, Goldin held his nerves and composure to win 15-8. With this victory, he clinched his first men’s singles gold medal of the season and his first since the 2024 APP Vlasic Classic last May.Delighted with the win, Goldin said: “It has been a tough year mentally, and getting over that hump means a lot. I just love this place. I love the crowd. It is just a beautiful place and I feel really comfortable here. I don’t know what it is. Even though I am a Florida boy, I really love Cincinnati.”Bhatia has given a good account of himself throughout the tournament. The Indian pickler demonstrated his transformation into a mature senior professional pulling off a huge upset in the semifinals on Friday. Dazzling on the big occasion, the Indian pickler took down top-seeded Chris Haworth 15-9, 15-4. He followed it up with stellar performances against Brandon Lane and Ammar Wazir, the bronze medallist, to seal his place in the final.Bhatia completed a rare treble for Indian pickleball last year by clean-sweeping the PWR DUPR India Masters 2024, winning all three titles. For someone who had not played much pickleball outside of Mumbai until 2024, this was a remarkable feat. Last year, he also won the men’s doubles titles at the PPA Australia Gold Coast, the Hong Kong Open, and the World Pickleball Championships in Bali, alongside Harsh Mehta. He also claimed two singles titles.His latest exploit on American soil came following meticulous preparation for the tournament. As part of his pursuit of excellence in pickleball, Bhatia underwent a week-long training stint in Austin, Texas, in 2024 at The Lab – a pickleball facility founded by Ryan Dawidjan and Carlos Di Laura.