Focus on senior tournaments, Vimal tells Tanya

Shuttler made use of opportunities well, says PPBA chief coachBENGALURU: Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) director U Vimal Kumar on Saturday praised his trainee Tanya Hemanth's fine run at the Polish Open International Challenge tournament in Gniezno, Poland, recently."Tanya has done reasonably well in her two recent international outings, winning silver at the Polish Open and bronze at the Uganda International in February. But the key aspect is to remain focused and do well in the upcoming events and also to work on her technique," Vimal, who is also the chief coach, told TOI.Tanya, 17, lost in the women's singles final to World No. 54 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia. While she was disappointed with the result, playing in the final of her first-ever international challenge Grade 3 tournament was a new experience for the Bengalurean.Vimal said talented players like Tanya required more exposure at the international level at this age to achieve more laurels. "Good performance in smaller tournaments at the international level gives you a lot of confidence, especially because not many tournaments happened in the last one year due to the pandemic. Tanya made good use of the opportunity. Credit should also go to her parents for supporting her," he said.Acknowledging that Tanya needs more international exposure, Vimal said PPBA had also prepared a calendar of events for her to participate. "We have asked her to concentrate more on senior tournaments since the BWF has already frozen junior rankings and she does not have much time left in the junior category. Eventually you will be recognized for your achievements at the senior level," he said.With funds being critical to the shuttler's tournament plans, Vimal said PPBA was looking into the aspect and would convince sponsors to take it forward. "Tanya needs at least Rs 15-20 lakh a year to play on the international circuit. The next two years are crucial for her and if she can maintain her form during this period, she can establish herself at the world stage, reaching the top 20 ranking by the time she is 19-20 years old," he said.Tanya joined PPBA last year after honing her skills for six and a half years at ISports badminton academy and is the first of their junior players to achieve international success following the joint agreement signed by the two academies in August last year.Under the agreement, PPBA will extend its facilities and coaching services for select sub-junior and junior badminton players groomed by ISP to help them achieve their full potential in the national and international arena with further training and support at PPBA.