Chennai, May 15 (IANS) The third National Doubles Squash Championships could see multiple players winning two titles as Abhay Singh, Velavan Senthilkumar, Joshna Chinappa, and Rathika Seelan all advanced in their categories at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai on Friday.

Defending men’s doubles champions Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar delivered a strong performance to reach the final. They secured a decisive 11-1, 11-6 victory over Ravi Dixit and Vikas Mehra in the semifinals.

The top-seeded pair made very few mistakes during the one-sided match. They controlled the rallies from the start, using sharp attacking shots and quick movement to overwhelm their opponents. They will face second seeds Rahul Baitha and Suraj Kumar Chand, who won against Guhan Senthilkumar and Sandhesh PR 11-8, 11-7 in the other semifinal.

Along with their success in men’s doubles, both Abhay and Senthilkumar are also in contention for mixed doubles titles.

Top seeds Velavan Senthilkumar and Joshna Chinappa secured a spot in the mixed doubles final by defeating Rahul Baitha and Anika Dubey 11-6, 11-9 in a tight semifinal match

In the second semifinal, Abhay Singh and Rathika Seelan narrowly defeated Suraj Kumar Chand and Nirupama Dubey 12-10, 11-7 to reach the title match.

The women’s doubles competition also featured Joshna Chinappa and Rathika Seelan continuing their strong performance. The experienced team topped Group A after beating Ananya Narayan and Anika Dubey 11-5, 11-4, securing a place in the final and keeping hopes alive for both players to win two titles.

In Group B, Janet Vidhi and Pooja Arthi triumphed in a tough match against the second seeds, Nirupama Dubey and Shameena Riaz, winning 8-11, 12-10, 11-5.

Results:

Men’s doubles (semifinals): 1-Abhay Singh/ Velavan Senthilkumar bt Ravi Dixit/ Vikas Mehra 11-1, 11-6; 2-Rahul Baitha/ Suraj Kumar Chand bt Guhan Senthilkumar/ Sandhesh PR 11-8, 11-7.

Mixed doubles (semifinals): 1-Velavan Senthilkumar/ Joshna Chinappa bt Rahul Baitha/ Anika Dubey 11-6, 11-9; 2-Abhay Singh/ Rathika Seelan bt Suraj Kumar Chand/ Nirupama Dubey 12-10, 11-7.

Women’s doubles (round-robin): Group A: 1-Joshna Chinappa/ Rathika Seelan bt Ananya Narayan/ Anika Dubey 11-5, 11-4; Group B: Janet Vidhi/ Pooja Arthi bt 2-Nirupama Dubey/ Shameena Riaz 8-11, 12-10, 11-5.

–IANS

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