Thailand Masters badminton: As Ashwini-Tanisha take on Gayatri-Treesa, an intriguing battle awaits in the Race to Paris | Badminton News

After not having a single representative at the Tokyo Olympics, women’s doubles badminton in India is entering an exciting final phase of Paris qualification. Two pairs are in the fray, battling it out against each other in a topsy-turvy race. Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, who only started playing together a year back, recently overtook Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in the Race to Paris l. On Thursday in Bangkok, there will be a round-of-16 clash between the two Indian pairs at the Thailand Masters Super 300 that promises to be an intriguing chapter in this race.
Ashwini and Tanisha currently hold the edge, occupying the 11th qualification spot among 16 pairs that will qualify for Paris. Treesa and Gayatri are trying to mount a comeback after a less-than-ideal finish to 2023 where the latter was managing an injury and results simply didn’t fall their way. Whoever wins this second official meeting, is bound to get a shot in the arm. But all of them ins they will be happy for whoever qualifies ultimately.
“They are also playing well at the moment, and if any of us go to Paris, it will be a proud moment for India,” Treesa, 20, said during the India Open. “We didn’t have any women’s doubles representation from India at the Tokyo Olympics. They are also working really hard, anyone goes it is fine, we will be happy for them. From our side, we need to play good matches and pull off good results in the next few tournaments, that’s the aim. Every match, whether we win or lose, we are taking the learnings from it, there is a lot of improvement and experience we need to get.”
“Likewise (we’d be happy if either gets to Paris),” said the veteran Ashwini, 34. “They are a strong pair, we definitely learn a lot from their matches. At the end of the day, it’d likely be them or us and it’d be great to see an Indian pair qualify for the Olympics. We are all fighting.”
On the court and off it, the two pairs are quite contrasting. Treesa and Gayatri have been playing together on the tour since 2021, and are largely conventional in the sense that there is a steadiness about them. Treesa is the aggressor, the backcourt enforcer, while Gayatri is the touch special from the front court. They are the same age, there is a bit of ice-and-fire in their approach to the game with Treesa being the fiery element and Gayatri, 20, maintaining a largely unruffled persona.
On the other hand, Ashwini and Tanisha, 20, bring more collective energy. Their movement on the court can often be chaotic, but both of them are good enough to take up any position, and it makes them potent. They have played together just for a year and have battled it out at the lower-level tournaments on the World Tour to build up their understanding and rhythm.
Purely on technique and aesthetics, the pair of 20-year-olds should be favourites, but what Ashwini and Tanisha have going for them is momentum, fitness, and a whole lot of experience that the 34-year-old brings to the table. In fact, Ashwini and Tanisha are a rare duo on the tour in that there is a 14-year age differential between them. Most of the top pairs in the world at the moment are barely separated in that respect.
“That’s what makes us a unique pair,” Tanisha said. “I really don’t think there looks like there is a huge difference on the court, didi is still one of the hardest hitters in the world and she is at least bringing me to that level. In fact, I feel she is more agile than me at times, she is all over the court.”
For Ashwini, a reset this late in her career has brought about a new perspective and she is feeding off the youngster’s unbridled enthusiasm. It makes her feel younger. “Partnering with someone who is just 20 and starting off, is very exciting,” Ashwini, who won the World Championships bronze with Jwala Gutta in 2011, said.
‘I see things from a different perspective, I have been playing for a long time, and then when I see how she approaches events, she is excited. Like Malaysia Open was her first Super 1000 and her first tournament in Malaysia. I have played there for so many years, and when I see her come for the first time, it is very exciting. For me, it’s great that I get to share that experience with her as well as learn a lot from the energy she brings to the court. It keeps me going and gives me that buzz.”
It is also not lost on Ashwini that for the first time in a while, India have two pairs in women’s doubles pushing each other. “There has been a decade’s gap where we didn’t have a strong second pair. And now we have two good pairs from India, which is a big change. Ideally we need more, but it’s nice to see the next rung of doubles players are already here,” she said.
Mutual admiration aside, the match in Bangkok will indicate whether Treesa-Gayatri have the fight in them to return to the form they showed in early 2022 and 2023 with back-to-back All England semifinals that made the world sit up and take notice. Because on the other side of the court, Ashwini-Tanisha will bring the heat.