Owensboro’s Altaf Merchant on Wednesday claimed gold in the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, which event organizers call the largest pickleball event in the world. It’s his first gold medal in the event, where he’s previously won five silvers and a bronze.
“I had this day marked in my calendar last year when the schedule came out,” Merchant said. “Today I felt like the entire Owensboro pickleball community was pushing me to victory. I told my daughter (Wednesday) morning that ‘dad was gonna be golden today’ and this one is for my kids.”
Merchant was playing alongside Dayne Gingrich from Santa Barbara. They defeated Dave Weinbach and John Sperling in the finals with a score of 12-10, 12-10.
The win adds to a growing list of victories for Merchant this year, all of which came on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour in the senior pro division. With various playing partners, he’s won the Florida Open, Vulcan Indoor National Championships, Desert Ridge Open, Boca Raton Masters, and Hyundai Masters.
Merchant is currently the highest ranked senior player in the world according to the DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) ranking, and he’s in the top 25 in the world for the men’s pro division.
The Professional Pickleball Association, founded in 2018, is one of two main organizations hosting pro-level events for pickleball. PPA hosts events year round across the country and has their own pro rankings.
Outside of achieving global success as a pickleball player, in March 2021 Merchant announced a major effort to give back to the community that’s supported him along the way by becoming the naming sponsor for Owensboro’s Centre Court. He also is a top advocate to grow the sport of pickleball in Owensboro-Daviess County.
