Tanisha Crasto, Dhruv Kapila Revive India's Hopes In Mixed Doubles With Strong Performances

Delivering a series of strong performances since their partnership post Paris Olympics, the rising duo of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila are relishing every bit of their journey together in mixed doubles, sparking renewed hope for India's future in the discipline. 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 the former focusing on men's doubles alongside 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 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." Tanisha and Dhruv on Tuesday progressed to the second round of the India Open Super 750 with a 8-21 21-19 21-17 win over Chinese Taipei's Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui in their opener.

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 and Dhruv are seasoned players with notable success at the highest level, albeit 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