Armaan Bhatia, the blue-eyed boy of Indian pickleball, stunned Alex Crum - the player who upset PPA Tour No. 1 Federico Staksrud at the Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships - at the APP New York City Open to win the gold medal last week. It was Bhatia's maiden gold medal on the APP Tour, the developmental league.

Bhatia's 15-10, 27-25 win over Crum, who has just recently signed up with the United Pickleball Association (UPA) - America, which oversees the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP), came as a welcome shock in the pickleball world.

The 26-year-old Indian pickler returned to his home city of Mumbai after two months of consistent performances in the United States. Earlier this month, Bhatia created history as he became the first Indian player to win an APP Tour silver medal at the Vlasic Classic in Cincinnati on his debut. He went down to Grayson Goldin, the latest player to sign with the PPA Tour, in the final.

This was after his impressive performance in the US Open Pickleball Championships, where he bagged a bronze medal in men's doubles with Harsh Mehta.

Now back home after enduring a 22-hour journey from New York, Bhatia, the APP Tour No. 13 and India No. 1, made his ambition clear. He wants to play on the PPA Tour, the most competitive pickleball league in the world, which provides a level of financial stability, and the franchise-based Major League Pickleball.

With Crum and Goldin recently signing with the UPA, Bhatia is now hopeful of grabbing a deal with the profitable Tour. "I have been in conversation with the PPA and the UPA for a bit and then we have not spoken a lot in the recent few weeks. But if we I am keen to play," Bhatia told The Dink Pickleball vodcast.

Bhatia is not currently eligible to play on the PPA Tour as he is an unsigned player. "My team and I are reviewing all possibilities to see what is going to be the best for me through this year. But if that does not happen this year, I am happy doing the APP and the international stuff for this year and then we can see what next year holds for me," he added.

Bhatia, meanwhile, recounted his epic APP New York City Open win over Crum, in which the second game saw both players stretching beyond their limits.

After the Indian player won the first game pretty comfortably 15-10, the second game turned out to be a dogfight. But in the end, it was Bhatia who prevailed for showing no nerves under pressure in alien conditions.

"I think the lucky part for me was Crum did not win three points in a row throughout the match. But he was always coming back to even out the score. I ended up getting a lead at 14-12, but there was a freeze at 14. I hit a few good balls. I thought I kept the last ball low, but he hit a bit off it. And that was when actually started getting entertaining and fun," said Bhatia.

Crum made a comeback to deny Bhatia the match point as he continued to test him. "At 21-20 Crum missed a serve and that is when I thought okay this guy is going to cave in now. But he hits the next return right on the line. Played absolutely bang in the middle. Right on the line. And I am like, 'Well, that is good redemption...fearless.' He actually played really well," said Bhatia.

However, Bhatia remained calm and has been learning from experience. Prior to his final in New York, he lost in Cincinnati to Goldin from a similar situation. "I won the first, I was up in the second, and then we engaged in a dogfight."

In New York, he did not bog down under pressure as he secured the game 27-25 and eventually wrestled the match away from Crum.

Now back in Mumbai, Bhatia will rest, recover, and prepare for his next tournament in the US, the APP Newport Beach Open, scheduled for July 2-6. "I am probably going to the States around the 23rd or the 24th of June and I will stay through and play that one and then go back home again because then there is nothing much." To fill the vacuum, Bhatia earnestly looks forward to landing a deal with the UPA.