UP shuttler duo on cloud nine, toplay against role model Ashwini

Lucknow: Shuttlers Samriddhi Singh of Lucknow and Sonali Singh from Noida, who qualified for the main draw of the Syed Modi India International Badminton Championship on Tuesday defeating Radhika Sharma and Tanvi Sharma 21-16, 21-17, are on cloud nine.

While the duo are happy about their victory, they are more excited over their maiden opportunity to play against their role model, Ashwini Ponnappa, on Wednesday.

“This is the first time that I am playing in the Syed Modi tournament. I am happy that I have qualified for the main round. Since my childhood, I was very fond of trophies and would tell my father that I would do something in life that would win me trophies,” said Sonali, who holds 33rd rank.

“I am glad that I will play against Ashwini Ponnappa, who is my role model. I will do my best to win the main draw. I enjoyed playing with my partner Samridhi. We have been playing together for the last two years,” she said.

“I made my international debut with the Infosys International Challenge in 2021 at Bengaluru. My dream is to play for the country in the Olympics,” Sonali added.

Samriddhi too has been a big fan of Ashwini. She started her badminton journey in 2012 from KD Singh Babu Stadium and shifted to Babu Banarsi Das Badminton Academy in 2013 where she was trained by Indonesian coach Endra Mulya and Indian trainers Mukul Bharadwaj and Abhishek Singh.

“I am so excited to play against Ashwini Ponnappa in the main draw. I have grown up seeing veterans like Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa,” she said. “Playing on the home turf definitely gave us an edge in Tuesday’s match. I have practiced here a lot and got the support of spectators,” Samriddhi said. “I played my first Syed Modi International in 2018 and this is my first big international tournament with Sonali. I made my international debut in the 2017 Dutch German Open,” she said.