14 January,2025 01:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Dhruv Kapila, Tanisha Crasto (Pic: File Pic)
Following a string of strong performances after the Paris Olympics, the duo of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila are enjoying every bit of their partnership, raising India's hope for the future.
Jwala Gutta and V Diju were India's best-mixed doubles pair, achieving a career-high world ranking of six. After their retirement, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa made significant strides before parting ways, with Satwik focussing on men's doubles along with Chirag Shetty.
"We played a couple of tournaments before the Olympics and saw a lot of potential in this partnership. I think it was a good decision for both of us to start this journey together," Tanisha Crasto told PTI.
"Dhruv is a very talented mixed doubles player. He has a great understanding of the game, and I enjoy playing upfront. It's a combination that works well and makes us a dangerous pair."
In India Open Super 750, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila progressed to the second round with a win over Chinese Taippei's Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui.
Also Read: India Open: Srikanth, Kiran George make it to main draw after withdrawals
Interestingly, Tanisha, alongside Ishaan Bhatnagar, had made a serious push for the Paris Olympics before an unfortunate injury derailed their plans.
"Sometimes, setbacks lead to better opportunities. Mixed doubles is my main focus now. I'm not sure how long Ashwini will continue playing, so I'm fully focused on this event," said Tanisha, who competed in the Paris Olympics.
Both Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila are seasoned players with notable success at the highest level, though with different partners in women's and men's doubles.
Dhruv, known for his mixed doubles style even in his junior days, initially played men's doubles with MR Arjun, with some success.
However, an injury to Arjun led Dhruv Kapila to refocus on mixed doubles.
"I wasn't fully into mixed doubles initially because I didn't have a partner, and everyone else was already paired up. Arjun and I were playing well, but eventually, I decided to concentrate on one discipline," Dhruv said. "Unfortunately, Arjun got injured, but he's fine now and playing with Vishnu."
The return of renowned Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her has further boosted their confidence.
"He's been a great help to both Dhruv and me," Tanisha said. "He understands our weaknesses and helps us work on them together. It's very comfortable talking to him, and he helps us refine our game, both individually and as a pair. It's been really beneficial for us."
As for now filling the void Jwala and Diju left, both Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila are optimistic.
"Yes, but we need to improve further. We can't set expectations too high just yet," Dhruv said.
"Our focus is on this year. We're taking it step by step¿starting with performing well in Super 500 and 700 events. We aim to reach the quarter-finals and semi-finals. We're not there yet, but we're learning from every tournament, and our short-term goal is continuous improvement over the next few months."
(With PTI Inputs)
