Written by Intern Rency Gomes ||Team Allycaral
Margao, February 6, 2026:
Lincoln Furtado delivered an impressive performance to claim the Men’s Singles 60+ title, while defending champions Nihaal Borkar and Ruta Borkar retained the 35+ Mixed Doubles crown on the opening day of the BPS Open Pickleball Championship 2026 at the BPS Sports Club, Margao.
In the Men’s Singles 60+ final, Lincoln Furtado defeated James Anderson 11–4 to secure the title. Earlier, Anderson edged past Parag Joshi 15–12 in the semi-finals, while Lincoln overcame Savio Vales by an identical margin. The round-robin stage saw Anderson beat Capt. Ravi Peris 11–7 and Lincoln 11–8, Parag Joshi defeat Shailendra Singh 11–4, Savio Vales register wins over Parag Joshi (11–6) and Shailendra Singh (11–1), while Lincoln also defeated Capt. Ravi Peris 11–2.
In the 35+ Mixed Doubles final, Nihaal Borkar and Ruta Borkar showcased resilience to defeat Immanuel Rohan and Audrey Menezes 11–8, 10–12, 11–9 in a closely contested match. In the semi-finals, Immanuel Rohan and Audrey Menezes overcame James Anderson and Jen Noronha 11–7, while Nihaal and Ruta progressed after Nishant Verghese and Gitanjli Chauhan retired while trailing 12–5.
Earlier matches saw Nishant Verghese and Gitanjli Chauhan defeat Chirag Sukerkar and Karishma Verlekar 11–8, Immanuel Rohan and Audrey Menezes register an 11–8 win over Nihaal Borkar and Ruta Borkar, and Nishant and Gitanjli record a dominant 11–1 victory over James Anderson and Jen Noronha. James Anderson and Jen Noronha later edged past Chirag Sukerkar and Karishma Verlekar 12–10.
The three-day BPS Open Pickleball Championship 2026 is being held at the BPS Sports Club, Margao, in association with the Goa Pickleball Association, featuring multiple age-group and open-category events scheduled from February 6 to 8.
