It is good to have a partnership that is promising: Ponnappa on her recent success with Crasto

The partnership with Tanisha Crasto, forged in January this year, has given Ashwini Ponnappa a new lease on life. From going through 2022 without a women’s doubles title (playing alongside Sikki Reddy), Ashwini has turned the corner this year – winning three tournaments and finishing runner-up twice.

The year has ended with Ashwini-Tanisha claiming the Yonex-Sunrise Guwahati Masters crown, and taking silver in the Yonex-Sunrise Odisha Masters.

Ashwini, 34, is pleased to be back in the top tier of international women’s doubles.

“It feels great. It has been a while since I won tournaments. It’s good to have a partnership that is promising. The work we’re putting in is converting into wins. Without good results, it can be quite disheartening. It is very motivating to know that we’re going in the right direction,” Ashwini said at the launch ceremony of the 42nd Inter Unit PSPB badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

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With a world ranking of 24, Ashwini and Tanisha have a shot at making the cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The key is to keep the winning momentum going.

“Our focus is on continuing to improve and keep winning. We need to focus on every match we play from here on. If we do that, we have a good shot at making it to the Olympics,” Ashwini said.

Ashwini is a full 14 years older than Tanisha but is not keen on the “senior” tag. The trick to success, Ashwini said, is having the right balance in the partnership.

“There is no senior or junior on the court. It’s an equal partnership where we win and lose together. Tanisha is very expressive on the court, which is nice. It is important for me to stay calm because Tanisha has a lot of energy. We can then have the right balance,” Ashwini said.