New Delhi, Dec 11 :: Young Indian shuttler Tanisha Crasto has revealed that she committed to ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa as her doubles partner as long as the 35-year-old continues to play badminton. Tanisha and Ashwini successfully defended their women's doubles title at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament last week, their second tournament together after the Paris Olympics. The women's duo also made it to the semifinals of the Syed Modi India International.

With her preference for mixed doubles, Tanisha is forming a solid partnership with Dhruv Kapila. The duo started playing together at the Syed Modi International at the end of last year and made the semifinal after a year at the same event.

Speaking to IANS about her plans for future tournaments, Tanisha said, "So, I'm just starting with mixed and not really keeping my expectations very high, as very recently Dhruv had a big tear in his ankle; he just made it before the Syed Modi, and thankfully, we've played well. I feel like he still needs a lot of rest, so I'm not thinking very far off.

"We're really focusing on the tournaments that are happening in January because we've got an entry in the Super 1000 and 750 and a 500 and I feel these tournaments are going to be very important for us because it's a good place for us to get good points and improve our ranking. After that, we focus on the All England that's happening in March/April time. So, that's what it is for mixed doubles," she said.

Speaking about her relationship with Ashwini on and off the court, Tanisha said, "In the women's doubles, I don't know yet when Ashwini Didi will be playing, but I have given her a commitment that I shall continue with her until she is playing. We're not going to be very result-orientated, and in the coming time, we're just going to enjoy and play badminton to have fun."

"My relationship and partnership with her is great and the best it has been till now with anyone it has been with her. The partnership throughout this entire year has also been super great; we've learnt so much together as a pair and I've learnt so much from her as an individual. There's no senior-junior thing that happens between us. I think both of us respect one another equally. Of course, she has a lot of experience.

"She's been in this sport longer than I have been. I really like taking her advice during our matches but there are times when I feel certain things on the court and I think that it is the best for the situation and she 100 per cent respects that. I think it's mutual and that's what is the best part of our partnership," she added.

Tanisha marked her Olympic debut earlier this year at the Paris Olympics and competed in the women's doubles category with Ashwini, who was playing her third Olympics.

Reflecting on her experience from the Olympics, the 21-year-old shuttler said, "It was super great. I am really happy that I made it to the Olympics on the first attempt. Playing against those higher-ranked players gave us a really good exposure and it was helpful for us because we got to play with them again in the future."

There was so much learning that happened. We knew it was a tough competition, but we were really, really up for it and we enjoyed every match and gave it all on the court. We did as much as we could and we are happy with the way we played. We really wish we could have played more rounds ahead, but we're very happy with what we've done," she signed off.

/IANS