Taipei title is history now, focused on Japan Open: Jwala

Not the one to bask in past glory, ace Indian doubles player Jwala Gutta has already forgotten her Chinese Taipei win and is gearing up for the Japan Open that gets underway next week.


Jwala and V Diju are the world number seven mixed doubles pair and the duo won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold last month but the Hyderabadi girl said she has gotten over the euphoria of winning the title and is focusing on the Japan Open, which starts on September 22.

"Chinese Taipei is past now. I have already forgotten about it. It was a good experience, good exposure and boosted our confidence but Japan Open is a bigger tournament and a different tournament altogether and we are prepared for that," Jwala said.

Japan Open Super Series is the first tournament in which Jwala and Diju are competing after their Taiwan title win and she doesn't want to set any target for the event.

"I have never set any targets for myself. I don't believe in setting targets. We have been training hard and are well prepared for the tournament. I just want to perform consistently. So that even if we lose, we don't feel that we didn't play our best," Jwala said.

"We are playing a Thai pair in the first round and they are really good. They were in the top five earlier but of late they haven't played in the last couple of tournaments.

"We played them in the first Indian Open two years ago. We lost in the first round. I know things are different now but they are very experienced and we cannot take them lightly. For me, it is the first round which matters now," Jwala said.

Her partner V Diju, however, said he is hoping for at least a semi-final appearance.

"I am aiming to reach atleast the semifinals," Diju said. "Winning the Chinese Taipei title has helped improve my confidence level. I am not under any pressure and I am enjoying my game now," he added.

After Japan Open, Jwala and Diju will play in the Danish Open, French Open in the European circuit and will also feature in the Hong Kong and China Open later in the year.

This would be followed by the all-important World Super Series Masters in December, if they can qualify for the event by being in the world top eight.

Jwala will also combine with Ashwini Poppanna in the women's doubles event in the Japan Open and the 26-year-old said she was confident of a good show.

"Me and Ashwini have been performing consistently. We reached the quarter-finals in Taiwan and I'm confident we will be performing well in Japan too. I am not thinking of any ranking points at the moment. The focus is on improving our performance with each tournament," she said.