The women’s doubles final at the Rise Up Championship – Pickleball by the Bay 2025 will feature a thrilling match on Sunday at Chennai’s VGP Golden Beach Resort. Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Vineet Mittal will face Snehal Kishor Patil and Joshika Premkumar after strong semifinal wins. Rakshikha and Sindoor defeated Pearl Nozer Amalsadiwala and Naomi Nozer Amalsadiwala 11–6, 11–9, while Snehal and Joshika overcame Urvi Abhyankar and Shreya Chakraborty 11–4, 11–8. Both pairs are aiming for the title with confidence and focus.
Semifinal Wins Boost Confidence
Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Vineet Mittal said their semifinal victory gave them energy and belief. “It was exhilarating,” Sindoor said. “Just look at this – by the bay, we are playing pickleball by the bay. It’s just an amazing environment. We had really tough competition, but we put out our best and managed to sail through.” Rakshikha added, “I think we played a great game. You know, we took out the number one seed, so I am really happy. We had a plan, we executed it, and we played really well.”
The pair, set to represent India at the Pickleball World Cup Florida later this year, have teamed up recently but show strong coordination. “Not a really long time, but yes, we partnered recently,” Sindoor explained. “We’ve been playing tournaments together and we are doing really well together.” Rakshikha said confidently, “I am going for the gold,” with Sindoor echoing, “We are going for the gold, absolutely.”
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Different Paths to Pickleball
Sindoor Vineet Mittal, a former swimmer, discovered pickleball just last year. “I am not a tennis player. I am actually a swimmer and I started pickleball last year. It is absolutely my first racquet sport,” she said. Her interest grew quickly: “I think it was the community, the recreational feeling. I was at the club and people were starting to play. A few of my friends encouraged me to pick it up. We just started playing once a day, and I completely got hooked. Now I end up playing every single day.”
Rakshikha Ravi comes from a strong tennis background. “I played nine years of tennis and then I switched to pickleball,” she said. What began as a hobby became professional competition: “As you said, it is really addictive. I started off for fun but then I got a really good hang of it. So now, yes, I am competing professionally.”
Snehal Patil and Joshika Premkumar’s Journey
Joshika Premkumar credited strategy and teamwork for their semifinal win. “It went really good. The opponents played really well. It was a very tough match but then we held it together from start to end. We had a good strategy and we killed it,” she said. Snehal Kishor Patil, partnering with Joshika for the first time, admitted initial doubts: “I was a little excited and I played with Joshika for the first time and I didn’t feel that our coordination would be good or not. Still, we went to the finals and we played a good match. We made a comeback, we were a little down and a little up, but the game was good.”
The Chennai tournament was also Snehal’s first visit to the city. “The arrangement was also very good and I came to Chennai for the first time to play a tournament. I felt very good,” she said. Joshika, with a tennis background, has adapted quickly to pickleball: “Even if you are a badminton or any racquet sport player, I think pickleball is a very easy game to learn because it’s almost the same hand-eye coordination, the movements and everything. The more pickleball you play, the better you get at it.”
Despite being last-minute partners, Snehal and Joshika remain confident. “We are very hopeful. Actually, we were the last-minute partner. I was not even supposed to play the tournament because I was sick. I thought, okay, let me just give it a shot because she wanted to—and then here we are, through to the finals. So, hopefully, we will win. We will do it,” Snehal said.
Learning Experiences for Opponents
Urvi Abhyankar and Shreya Chakraborty, who lost in the semifinals, said they learned from the match. “Honestly, it wasn’t our best day. It wasn’t our best match. We could have done much better,” said Shreya. Urvi added, “We played a very solid game in the morning, the quarters—we made a good upset. But I think this is our first time pairing up together. It’s a lot of learning to do and definitely not the best match, but it’s only going up from here. We will be coming back really strong, I feel.”
As the women’s doubles final approaches, both pairs are ready to bring skill, strategy, and energy to the court. The match promises excitement for players and fans alike on Chennai’s golden shores.
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News in Brief: Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Mittal
Rakshikha Ravi and Sindoor Vineet Mittal will face Snehal Kishor Patil and Joshika Premkumar in the women’s doubles final at the Rise Up Championship – Pickleball by the Bay 2025 in Chennai. Both pairs advanced with strong semifinal wins. Rakshikha and Sindoor are aiming for gold and will represent India at the Pickleball World Cup Florida.