Male' Maldives: The 7th Carrom World Cup is underway at the Barceló Nasandhura Hotel in Malé, marking the Maldives’ return as host after 11 years, the previous edition being held in 2014 at Sun Island Resort.
This year, 17 countries and more than 150 players have gathered in the capital for one of the sport’s most prestigious global competitions.
The doubles events have now concluded, with India asserting strong dominance in both the men’s and women’s finals.
In the Men’s Doubles Gold Medal match, K. Srinivas and Abhijit Tripankar delivered a commanding performance against fellow Indians Prashant More and Sadeep Dive, securing a 2–0 victory with identical 24–5 set scores. The Women’s Doubles final was a thrilling all-India contest, where L. Keerthana and Kajal Kumar triumphed over V. Mithra and M. Khazima. After winning the first set 16–15 and losing the second 10–25, Keerthana and Kajal regrouped to claim the deciding set 19–16.
The bronze medal matches added further excitement to the doubles category. Singapore’s Lenus Paul and Ramanpreet Singh Pahwa claimed the Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal with a 2–0 win against Bangladesh’s Md. Haemal Molla and Hafizur Rahman, edging a close first set 21–20 before dominating the second 19–5.
In the Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal match, the Maldives’ Aishath Fainaz and Aishath Nahufa thrilled home supporters by taking the first set 22–13, but the American duo of Preeti Jakhotia and Tejasvi Duduka rallied to win the next two sets 23–20 and 17–11.
With the doubles events successfully completed, attention now shifts to the remaining categories as the World Cup continues. The Maldives is earning praise for its warm hospitality and professional hosting, as players and fans look forward to more high-level competition in the days ahead.
