Need to improve my strokes and bring variations, says Isharani after losing to Oly gold medallist

Guwahati, April 30: Assam shuttler Isharani Baruah, part of the Indian contingent, has been impressive winning matches against her rivals from Canada and Singapore in the first two matches of the Uber Cup being held in Chengdu, China.

But it was not her day on April 30 as she lost to Olympic gold medallist Chen Yu Fei 12-21, 10-21 in a Group A clash.

She even opened up a 6-4 lead in the first game before the Chinese took control of the match.

“I’m a bit disappointed with my game as I committed several errors today,” 20-year-old Isharani said after the match.

“And it appeared to be an easy win for her. But it’s okay, I will work hard next time to do better.”

Prior to that, Isharani beat Insyirah Khan of Singapore 21-13, 21-16 in just 31 minutes in India’s last match. And in the first match of the Uber Cup, she got the better of Wen Yu Zhang of Canada 21-13, 21-12 in just 29 minutes. Thus, she played a vital role in India reaching the quarterfinals, especially in the absence of senior players like PV Sindhu.

Looking back at the match she lost, Isharani said: “Some of the points she (Chen Yu Fei) earned playing so well. When I was doing a rally, I was getting chances and I was really hitting well. But as I said I made several mistakes… I think if I would have played longer rallies, I could have done better.”

Chen Yu Fei, on the other hand, was so dominant and played her normal game – confident and error-free. For Isharani this was one of her first major tournaments. And playing against Chen Yu Fei was an experience.

“I was looking forward to playing with her and I was really excited. The pace was high and I had to speed it up. She was hitting so well. Her variations of strokes were very good. It was not very comfortable for me,” admitted Isharani who hails from Dibrugarh.

“It was really a good experience to play with an Olympic gold medalist. I’m looking forward to playing with her again in future. I will definitely do well next time.”

Isharani who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in Bengaluru said she needs to improve her strokes and bring variations.

“(Today) the pace was almost equal. But I have to improve my strokes and bring variations. And not to repeat the mistakes which I did today,” she signed off.

Another Assam shuttler Ashmita Chalia didn’t play today’s match. The young Indian team lost 0-5 to China on April 30.