Jwala, Ashwini win their second match; keep hopes alive

The Indian women’s doubles team, comprising of Jwala Gutta, and Ashwini Ponnappa, took on Chinese Taipei’s Wen-Hsing Cheng, and Yu-Chin Chien in a must-win game, having lost their first match to the Japanese duo of Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa. Only two teams qualify from each group, and the pair needed to win to keep their hopes alive.

First game

Right from the start, Jwala looked like she had a point to prove while Ashwini was her usual calm self. Regularly approaching the net, the Indian pair put in a great display to gain an early 5 point lead, leading 11 -6 into the break. The experienced pair from Chinese Taipei fought back to make it 12-10, before a surge of consistency from the Indians saw them reach 18-14. With the duo of Cheng and Chien finally holding serve consistently, and a couple of marginal errors from the Indians, the score was soon tied up at 19-all. Taipei went a point ahead, before the game was levelled up at 20-all. The sequence repeated, with a long rally saving the game for India, and tying scores up at 21-all. Surprisingly enough, the sequence repeated again, neither team being able to hold serve. At 22-all, India had their first game point, which was saved. A great return-of-serve from Jwala set up India’s second game point at 24-23. With a few nervy smiles all around, we saw the Indian coaches urging their players to be calm and focused. It worked, with the Indian pair taking the game 25-23.

Second game

Taipei had the brighter start to the second game, bringing their experience into play, and leading 6-1 at a point. A spell of play then came about where the duo from Taipei seemed interested in playing only with Ashwini, who was covering the baseline. While the Indian pair coped well with the initial pressure, the teams went into the break with Taipei leading 11-7. The pair from Taipei, playing in white, showed no signs of slowing down, racing to a 19-12 lead. The Indians were left with an uphill task, facing 6 game points at 20-14, and while they saved two, Ashwini sent a straightforward smash long to take the match into the deciding set.

Third game

The start to the third set was edgy, and hard-fought, and tense faces on either side of the net showcased what the Olympics mean to each of them. Short plays prevailed, with no real rallies of note, as India took a slender advantage at 6-4. They failed to make any solid gains however, with a racquet change from the profusely sweating Ashwini at 8-6. A great return of serve from Jwala helped India tie the game at 9-all, before strong play restored a 2-point lead for India, going into the break. A great rally went the way of Taipei to narrow down India’s lead at 12-11. This game of cat-and-mouse continued for a bit before India drew slightly ahead, leading 16-12. The gap was soon back to 1 point, as Taipei rallied to 17-16. A quartet of breaks of serve saw the score at 19-18, before a glaring error from Cheng gifted India the match point. It was a gift the Indians gladly accepted, finishing the point off before celebrating their victory with bundles of relief.

The result keeps India’s chances of making it to the next round alive, with the duo needing another win to force their case. They will be hoping to do just that when they take on Shinta Mulia Sari and Lei Yao of Singapore, who have lost both their matches thus far. We wish them all the best!

Result: Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponnappa (IND) bt Wen-Hsing Cheng/Yu-Chin Chien (CTP) 25-23 16-21 21-18