Indian women's doubles shuttlers Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy have said that the Red Bull Shuttle Up tournament is a great platform for women shuttlers to showcase their talent.
The Red Bull Shuttle Up, India's first-ever women's doubles badminton tournament, was played at the RRC Indoor Stadium in Secunderabad.
"I am really glad that finally, the Red Bull has come up with this Shuttle Up tournament for women's doubles. I being a player of women's doubles know that there is not much development in the category," Ponnappa told ANI.
"There have been no women's doubles at any of the leagues. So, it's really important to promote this game, to encourage girls to play it. I'm really happy that we have entered the second edition of this tournament," added Ponnappa.
"As I have seen the first edition and I have seen that the girls have a great talent, we need more tournaments like this to bring up the talent. It's really great that the Red Bull has taken up the initiative to conduct this women's doubles tournament. And I'm really happy to be a part of this tournament and Red Bull," she added.
Ponnappa remained optimistic about the tournament and hoped that this will provide a platform for young girls.
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"I hope this doesn't stop here. We hope to take this tournament ahead and benefit more and more talented girls and give them an opportunity to prove themselves," said Ponnappa.
"All the girls participating are highly talented but it's important that they are guided in the right way and should make them believe in themselves. All the players must know what their strengths and weakness are and should be guided to work on their weakness and strengthen their weaknesses," she added.
Reddy said that this is a great initiative taken by Red Bull and there is a chance for women doubles shuttlers to prove themselves and bring up their hidden talent.
"It's great the Red Bull has taken up this great initiative by conducting women's doubles tournament. It's a great opportunity for women players to prove themselves. There is no proper concentration for women's doubles in the country. So by conducting such tournaments, we can bring up the hidden talent of the players," Reddy said.