Doubles is twice as fast as singles: Jwala

Saina Nehwal may have got used to being in the limelight,but for once,she has to share the top billing in a tournament with her compatriots. And the world No 6 shuttler is not complaining.

For the first time,a major badminton competition will see Indians leading the seedings in two events. Nehwal was expected to top her list,given the absence of the top five players in the world (all Chinese) from the Asian Badminton Championships,but its the mixed doubles combine of V Diju and Jwala Gutta that has been a surprise since there are three other pairs in the fray currently ranked above them.

However,Gutta is unhappy that while singles continues to rule the limelight,mixed doubles or,for that matter,even doubles has been relegated to a secondary position,both by the media and the general public. In the past one year,we have won two big titles and reached the last eight in three others. I dont know what else we can do except continue playing well and improving our performances, she says. Mixed doubles is generally not considered very exciting but badminton is very different from a sport like tennis. Doubles here is twice as fast as singles,and it pits men against women in close range,in situations that are equally tiring. Testing your wiles against the strength of a man is never easy. For me,a mixed doubles event is far more exciting than singles.

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Her partner Diju agrees. Even when we won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix,there was just a small story or an odd photograph in the newspapers. A singles win would have got a much wider coverage. But now that we are playing at home,hopefully it will get better. And maybe more people will know about us as well, he says.

As far as the current tournament goes,Gutta says that being top seeds adds to the expectations,she was still confident. I expect to win,thats what I expect every time I play, she says.

No test event

It may have been called a test event ahead of the Commonwealth Games,but the Badminton Asia Championships beginning on Monday will be a much tougher challenge for the players. On the day the draw released,the players insisted there would be no testing during the event. For us,the competition is one of the biggest events in the calendar, Gutta says.

Chief coach Pullela Gopichand also said that the status of a test event did not minimise the competition. For us,it is a big event where the field might be smaller but the competition is tough, he says.