BENGALURU: The road to Tokyo Olympics has been far from smooth for India women’s doubles specialist Ashwini Ponnappa and partner N Sikki Reddy.
The duo has endured a poor run of late. In 2019, the pair crashed out in the first round 13 times in 20 tournaments, while exiting from the second round thrice.
The Ponnappa-Reddy combine has reached a final only twice: Hyderabad Open (Super 100) and Maldives International Challenge. But they lost both to lower-ranked opponents.
As a result, their ranking has also dipped to 26th. Although there is time to gain valuable ranking points and qualify for Tokyo, Ponnappa is worried about the results.
“It has been a tough year,” said Ponnappa. “We had tough draws and matches. Getting a first-round win has been hard. After the final in Maldives, we haven’t been able to do well. For sure that has made me worry a little. It hasn’t been easy to get back on the court with fire and motivation.”
The pair’s confidence has also taken a hit. It was evident in their last match in Hong Kong Open.
The two lasted only 36 minutes against the Danish pair of Maiken Fruergaard and Sara Thygesen, losing 13-21, 12-21 in the first round.
The 30-year-old believes winning the next few matches will be important for regaining their confidence.
“Going into the Olympic year, the next few matches are going to be very important. We need to get some good wins, which is what we are aiming for. Hopefully, we will be able to do that. We still have a couple of months left and we still have a chance, which is what is keeping us going. We have hope and determination to turn things around.”
With the Syed Modi International beginning on November 26, Ponnappa is aiming at playing smaller tournaments to turn things around.
“Reaching two finals in a bad year boost confidence. Having played big tournaments and not the small ones were challenging as we’ve faced strong pairs in the first round. Playing smaller tournaments and reaching the finals helps in getting more matches. This gives us confidence. That’s what we are aiming for,” she remarked.
Need more focus on doubles
Ponnappa emphasised on the need to have more doubles matches at all levels to find more doubles specialists. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist has launched ‘Shuttle Up’, a women’s doubles tournament in partnership with Red Bull. It will identify women’s doubles talent in cities across the country and the winners of the national finals will get a chance to play with her.
“The competition has changed so much over the last couple of years and so has the style. We really need to be ready to play a steady long game, unlike in the past where we could get quick points. To do that, we really need overall development. We need more women doubles events,” the Red Bull athlete opined.