We learned from our mistakes: Ashwini Ponnappa

Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta formed the second half of India’s formidable women’s doubles’ pair. Now that the two have gone separate ways, it’s important for Ashwini to play the role that Jwala did when they were together. Before combining in the Olympics last year for the final time, the twosome had won the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold and 2011 World Championships bronze.

Ashwini said, “I would not like to talk about it (split) much as we are not playing together anymore. We have spoken with each other and that’s what really matters. The last three years with Jwala have been wonderful. I’ve learnt a lot from her, I’m thankful for that.”

The 23-year-old soft-spoken Ashwini is settling down with new partners, Pradnya Gadre in women’s doubles and Tarun Kona in mixed. “Pradnya and I have not played a lot together. She does not have Jwala’s experience but she will definitely get there. We combine very well — she at the net, me at the back. I’ve a bit more experience than Pradnya. We are just about a year apart in age. I enjoy the partnership with her,” she said.

Ashwini and Kona came together in June 2012. Though the results in international tournaments have not been spectacular, Ashwini feels the exposure was invaluable. Ashwini and Kona benefited most from being part of the Asian All-Star team that made the semifinals of the Axiata Cup, the richest team championship event with a prize money of $1million. The semifinals and final will be played in Kuala Lumpur on April 13-14. The prelims were held from March 21 to 31 in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Ashwini said, “Tarun and I were selected as mixed-doubles pair for the Asian All-Star team. It has been a really good experience. To be part of a team with top-class players in the form of Chinese Bao Chunlai and Zheng Bo, Korean Lee Huin, Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tsu Ying and Hong Kong’s Yip Yui Yin was a different experience. We got to interact with them. Otherwise, normally in tournaments, you do not get to interact with them. They supported us really well.”

Ashwini believed the experience playing against players from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Europe and Philippines could only take her partnership with Kona forward. “It is a great opportunity to get more matches. We can get better at mixed doubles. We got to play top doubles’ pairs. We learned from our mistakes and got better in the subsequent games.”

Ashwini and Gadre lost in the qualifying rounds of the women’s doubles in last month’s All England Championships. In the mixed doubles, the Ashwini-Kona duo exited in the first round. “All England was not too great. I had an elbow problem,” Ashwini said. After the Axiata Cup semifinals and finals, Ashwini will head to Chinese Taipei for the Badminton Asia Championships (April 16-21) and then to New Delhi for the Yonex Sunrise India Open (April 23-28).

“Getting to the quarterfinals and semifinals and doing better than that in these tournaments would be the aim. I want to take each tournament as it comes. The CWG in 2014 is also something we are looking forward to,” she added.

@GKspts