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Karnataka's Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha has secured a place in the men's doubles main draw of the 2026 Australian Open after winning the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff held in Chengdu, China.
The second seed, Niki, representing India, partnered with Thailand's Pruchya Isaro. The pair won their first match against Tianzhi Qian and Bowen Wu, then went on to defeat Pak Long Yeung and Chih Chi Huang in the semifinals, according to a KSLTA release. In the final, they recorded a solid 6-4, 6-3 win over Japan's Seita Kusuhara and Katsuki Nakagawa to claim the Australian Open wildcard. This gives Niki his first-ever Grand Slam main draw appearance. To recognise this achievement, KSLTA has announced a reward of Rs 1,00,000 for Niki Poonacha. Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner -Greater Bengaluru Authority and Hon. secretary -KSLTA said: "We at KSLTA are extremely thrilled at Niki Poonacha's performance at Chengdu, where he won the Australian Open wild card qualifying event along with his partner, Pruchya Isaro. We are happy and proud that he continues the legacy of Rohan Bopanna, who just retired. We wish Poonacha and Pruchya Isaro all the very best in the Australian Open 2026, and we are sure he will make our state and nation proud. The KSLTA is happy to announce a reward of Rs. 1 lakh to Poonacha for this achievement." KSLTA remains committed to supporting athletes representing Karnataka on national and international platforms and acknowledges milestones that advance tennis in the state. (ANI)
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