It was a tough start for Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa to their 2016 Rio Olympics campaign as they lost to the top-seeded pairing of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo in straight games.
They would consider themselves fortunate that their next match in the group is held the following day since it would not give them much time to think about the defeat and rather focus on the job at hand.
The duo will be up against slightly easier opponents on Friday, the Dutch pairing of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in their second match.
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There would be a few things that the pairing should look to improve from their loss on Thursday. The Japanese pairing targetted Gutta and her inability to bend and retrieve the shuttle near the net. It would help Jwala if she can either be nearer to the net or remain low while expecting a drop shot to come her way.
The Indian duo will have positive memories of facing against this pairing, having beaten them at the Canada Open Grand Prix Gold in 2015 to lift their only title of the year and if they can put in a repeat performance on Friday, then they will in all probability register their 1st win of the Rio Olympics.
Matchup: Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponnappa vs Eefje Muskens/Selena Piek
Time: 5:45 P.M
TV details: Star Sports network, DD National and hotstar.com.
