The Indian Padel Academy said on Monday that the country’s first-ever Padel international squad, which competed in Bali, Indonesia, from September 19 to 22, placed third in the inaugural Asia Pacific Padel Cup. This is the Asia Pacific region’s first-ever padel competition amongst countries.

The Indian squad, chosen by the Indian Padel Academy, finished third in the six-nation competition behind the Philippines and Indonesia after defeating Malaysia 3-0 in the bronze medal match. Singapore and China were the other participating nations.

Similar to squash, padel, also known as padel tennis, is a Mexican-style racquet sport that is played on a court that is enclosed and somewhat smaller than a doubles tennis court. Doubles matches are played between two teams using solid, stringless bats and balls that resemble regular tennis balls. The ball is served to begin each game, and it must be at or below waist height.

Under the direction of Spanish head coach Victor Perez, the Indian team trained for four days at the JSW Inspire Institute in Vijayanagar, close to Toranagallu village in the Ballari district of Karnataka. Coach Imran Yusoof and manager Rithik Sinha also accompanied the team, which has elevated the nation’s standing in the world of padel.

In the bronze medal match against Malaysia, Aryan Goveas and Rahul Motwani, who started all of the Indian matches, got off to a fast start, winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. While the second girl combination of Jenai Billimoria and Johan Fernandes completed the best-of-five tie with an easy 6-0, 6-1 victory, Tulsi Mehta and Vaibhavi Deshmukh made it 2-0 for India.