Bengaluru, Nov 29 (NationPress) Karnataka’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha has clinched a position in the men’s doubles main draw of the 2026 Australian Open after triumphing in the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff that took place in Chengdu, China.

The second seed, Niki, who is representing India, teamed up with Pruchya Isaro from Thailand. The duo commenced their journey by overcoming Tianzhi Qian and Bowen Wu in their opening match. They then advanced to the semifinals, where they defeated Pak Long Yeung and Chih Chi Huang. In the final bout, they achieved a convincing victory with a score of 6–4, 6–3 against Seita Kusuhara and Katsuki Nakagawa from Japan, earning them the coveted Australian Open wildcard. This marks Niki’s inaugural appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. To commemorate this accomplishment, the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) has declared a reward of ₹1,00,000 for Niki Poonacha.

Maheshwar Rao, the Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority and Secretary of KSLTA, expressed, "We at KSLTA are immensely excited about Niki Poonacha’s remarkable performance in Chengdu, where he secured the Australian Open wildcard alongside his partner, Pruchya Isaro. We are delighted and proud that he continues the legacy of Rohan Bopanna, who has recently retired. We wish Poonacha and Pruchya Isaro all the best at the Australian Open 2026, and we are confident he will bring pride to our state and nation. The KSLTA is pleased to reward Poonacha ₹1 lakh for this significant achievement."

KSLTA remains dedicated to empowering athletes who represent Karnataka on both national and international stages and recognizes milestones that foster the growth of tennis in the state.