27 June,2023 07:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Sundari Iyer
Ashwini Ponnappa (left) Instagrammed this picture with Tanisha Crasto after winning the doubles crown at the Nantes International Challenge
Dubai-born India shuttler Tanisha Crasto, 20, believes her flourishing doubles partnership with two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and World Championships bronze medal-winner Ashwini Ponnappa, 33, could see the pair qualifying for next year's Paris Olympics. Crasto-Ponnappa clinched the women's doubles title at the Nantes International Challenge in France recently. The World No. 62 pair beat Chinese Taipei's Hung En-Tzu and Lin Yu-Pei 21-15, 21-14 in the final.
The win was commendable considering Crasto suffered an abdominal injury on the eve of the final and had to play with a strap. After their win, the pain resurfaced in Crasto's mixed doubles final alongside K Sai Pratheek. The pair went down 21-14, 14-21, 17-21 to Denmark's Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch. Crasto, who trains at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, began partnering Ponnappa only in January. And she's enjoying every moment of it.
"I want to make the most of my partnership with Ashwini. She's like an elder sister. We're looking forward to playing our best and at least being a part of the 2024 Olympics. An Olympic medal is my ultimate dream, but qualifying for the Paris Games won't be easy.
"We need to focus on getting points as per the new ranking system [Race to Paris - BWF Olympic Qualification] and for this we need to consistently reach at least the quarter-finals or semi-finals of Super 500 tournaments," Crasto, who is part of the Welspun Foundation, told mid-day recently.
The qualification cycle for the Paris Games began on May 1 and will run till April 28, 2024. So the Indian pair have sufficient time to try and climb the global rankings. Crasto revealed that the best part of their partnership is Ponnappa's humility.
"Ashwini treats me equally. There is no senior-junior concept in our partnership. When we are on court, we are two equal partners. I haven't had such a great partnership with any of my previous partners [Rutuparna Panda and Shruti Mishra]. I'm fortunate to have this opportunity to play with someone I idolise.
"Ashwini is always very supportive. She doesn't get angry whatever the situation. She tells me that I should just enjoy my game. I'm keen to learn so much from her and hopefully one day be a great doubles player like her," added Crasto, who hopes to be fit for the Korea Open (July 18-23). After that, the duo plan to participate in the Japan Open (July 25-30) and China Open (September 5-10) before the Hangzhou Asian Games (September 23 to October 8).
