Bangalore Qualifiers of Red Bull Shuttle Up to be Held on November 16

After an overwhelming response last year, Red Bull Shuttle Up- India’s first ever exclusive Women’s Doubles tournament, will be back in action with the upcoming qualifiers round on 16th November in Bangalore.

Set to be held at the Fair Play Arena in J.P Nagar, the tournament aims to give wings to the next generation of Women’s Doubles badminton players while encouraging them to take up the sport professionally.

Qualifiers have already been held across Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Chandigarh. The winning pair from each qualifier will be flown down to Hyderabad for the National Finals on 8th December 2019. The national finals winners will get a chance to play against Ashwini Ponnappa- one of India’s best doubles badminton players of all time – and a partner of her choosing.

With the growing popularity of the sport be it viewership (5th most viewed) or participation (2nd most played), the tournament aims to further boost and improve participation and popularity amongst aspiring women players.

India’s ace women doubles shuttler and Red Bull athlete Ashwini Ponnappa said, “It has been my ambition to promote badminton in India, especially for women. It’s great to be associated with brands like Red Bull that create such platforms and that give wings to the dreams of aspiring talent. It’s been a great journey with Red Bull Shuttle Up and I only see it growing in the years to come. I would like to wish all the participants the very best of luck.”

Winners of the other city qualifiers:

Delhi qualifiers Results:
Winners: Kavya Gandhi and Rageshri Garg

Runners up: Anahita and Ojashwini

Hyderabad qualifiers:
Winners: Poorvi Singh and Vanshika Kapila
Runners up: Likhita Gouti and Maitreyi

Guwahati qualifiers:
Winners: Ernacles Syiem and Mamta Singh
Runners up: Niyanta Das and Nandini Goswami

Chandigarh qualifiers:
Winners: Daman Raj Kumar and Akanshi Baliyan
Runners up: Ishita and Garima

Upcoming Qualifiers:
Bangalore qualifiers:
Date: 16th November 2019
Venue: Fair Play Arena, 66, 3rd Cross Rd, Nrupathunga Nagar, Kothnoor Dinne, 8th Phase, J. P. Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560076

Mumbai qualifiers:

Date: 23rd November 2019

Venue: Khar Gymkhana, 13th Rd, Khar, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052

Open exclusively for women above the age of 16, all matches are played in the knock out format. All pairs will play of 3 sets with 11 points in the knockout phase and 21 points in the city qualifiers finals match. Each pair, with prior notification to the referee, can call for a super point once in a set. By calling for a super point, the pair will get 2 points if they win that particular point. There will be no deduction of points if the pair loses that point. Players must be prepared to play 5/6 matches in a day, during the event. The winning pairs of each qualifier will make it through to the National Finals on 8th December 2019 in Hyderabad.

The first edition of Red Bull Shuttle Up was an overwhelming success as India’s U19 ranked number 1 women’s doubles pair Ritika Thaker and Simran Singhi from Mumbai claimed the championship title after a charged 11-1; 11-6 final match win over opponents Daman Rajkumar and Muskan Taya from Delhi. The duo also got a chance to play against one of India’s best doubles players Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy at Phoenix Marketcity Kurla, Mumbai