Niki Poonacha Earns Spot in 2026 Australian Open Men's Doubles

Poonacha Achieves Grand Slam Qualification

Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha from Karnataka has successfully secured a position in the men's doubles main draw for the 2026 Australian Open. This achievement follows his victory at the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff held in Chengdu, China.

As the second seed, Niki teamed up with Thailand's Pruchya Isaro. The duo triumphed in their opening match against Tianzhi Qian and Bowen Wu, and subsequently overcame Pak Long Yeung and Chih Chi Huang in the semifinals, as reported by KSLTA.

In the final match, they clinched a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over Japan's Seita Kusuhara and Katsuki Nakagawa, thereby earning the wildcard entry for the Australian Open.

This milestone marks Niki's inaugural appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. In recognition of this accomplishment, KSLTA has announced a reward of ₹1,00,000 for him.

KSLTA Celebrates Poonacha's Success

Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority and Hon. Secretary of KSLTA, expressed his excitement regarding Niki Poonacha's outstanding performance in Chengdu. He stated, "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 ₹1 lakh to Poonacha for this achievement."

KSLTA is dedicated to supporting athletes from Karnataka on both national and international stages and recognizes significant milestones that promote tennis within the state.