Pooja Arthi and Janet Vidhi scripted a hard-fought 8-11, 12-10, 11-5 victory over the second-seeded combination of Nirupama Dubey and Shameena Riaz to book their spot in the final. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B

Pooja Arthi completed a hat-trick of final appearances in the National Doubles Squash Championships at the Indian Squash and Triathlon Academy in Chennai on Friday.

Partnering Janet Vidhi, Pooja scripted a hard-fought 8-11, 12-10, 11-5 victory over the second-seeded combination of Nirupama Dubey and Shameena Riaz in the women’s Group-B round-robin match.

The unseeded duo will face the top-seeded pair of Joshna Chinappa and Rathika Seelan in the summit clash on Saturday. Like Pooja, Rathika, too, will be making her third straight women’s doubles final.

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Facing two match points at 8-10 in the second game, Pooja and Janet mounted a spirited comeback with an aggressive approach, highlighted by a couple of forehand winners from the backcourt. A delicate backhand drop shot from Pooja eventually sealed the game for the pair. Carrying the momentum into the decider, Pooja and Janet surged to 5-1 and later 9-3 leads before comfortably closing out the match.

“In the previous two Nationals, I had partnered Rathika Seelan. We won the first edition and finished runners-up in the other,” said Pooja.

Pooja and Janet felt that holding more doubles tournaments would significantly help players improve in the format. “We both love playing doubles more than singles,” they said.

Joshna was all praise for her partner Rathika, saying, “She is very quick, picks up a lot. She hits the ball hard and very well on the forehand.”

Published on May 15, 2026