Kumar and Naresh Clinch U.S. National Men’s Doubles Table Tennis Title
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by Joshua Dyke
Doubles: Men's doubles finalists (l-r) Daniel Tran, Nandan Naresh, Sid Naresh and Nikhil Kumar . U.S. National Table Tennis Championships. July 3, 2025. (Photo by USATT)
ONTARIO, Calif. – Nikhil Kumar and Sid Naresh clinched the 2025 U.S. National Men’s Doubles Championship with a commanding 3-1 victory over defending champions Daniel Tran and Nandan Naresh. The final score was 3-1 (4-11, 14-12, 11-3, 11-4).
Facing a well-established duo that had competed together since their Under-15 days, Kumar and Naresh had their work cut out for them. Yet they proved resilient, especially after dropping the first game.
“The second game was important, even being down 0-2, it would’ve been tough to come back,” said Sid Naresh. “Nikhil’s experience definitely showed. He made some amazing decisions and shots toward the end that really helped us.”
Though slow to start, the new champions found their rhythm quickly. Training together at the 888 Table Tennis Center for about a year, they had already won the 2025 NCTTA Men’s Doubles Championship, and their chemistry was evident.
Their momentum shifted with a hard-fought 14-12 win in Game 2, which turned the tide of the match. “Once we found our rhythm in the third and fourth games, I think we played pretty flawless table tennis,” Sid said. “I’m happy to get the win.”
Kumar credited their success to a deep understanding of each other’s playing styles. “It’s just understanding each other's skill sets and how to find the best way to use each other's strengths. Basically, a lot of just setting it up for Sid to really take full control.”
Adding a layer of brotherly rivalry, Sid Naresh, competing against his younger brother Nandan, confidently predicted a 75% chance of victory for his team before the match. In the end, his confidence was justified as he and Kumar won three of the four games in the best-of-five final.
