Things got tight in the first game, from 15-10 to 15-13. But a couple of deft touches from Tanisha and Dhruv mixing up his pace to go with usual booming smashes, meant the Indians took the lead. The second game was more straightforward as they took a 10-4 lead and from there it was just a matter of closing things out.

On Friday, putting together a solid game-plan and executing from the word go, the fifth-seeded Indians defeated Malaysia’s Loo Bing Kun and Ho Lo Ee 21-16, 21-13 in just 33 minutes. (Credit: UPBA)

Tanisha and Dhruv put together a couple of solid weeks in domestic events at the end of last year, but with the former’s partnership with Ashwini Ponnappa also clicking together at the same time, with a better chance of qualifying for Paris, the mixed doubles plans were put on hold. Dhruv’s doubles partner Arjun MR had wretched luck with injuries and after an exciting World Championships run in 2022, things didn’t work out for them.

“My main target is mixed doubles now,” Dhruv said. “It was unfortunate for Arjun and me, we were playing really well when the injuries happened. But even in men’s doubles, I played back court most of the time, so I had a good feel for it. I trained 2-3 months to practice for mixed doubles, when Tanisha and Ashwini were trying to qualify for Paris.”

But now that Paris is in the rearview mirror, Dhruv and Tanisha have a clear path. There is no big story behind the pair coming together, circumstances played a part in as much anything else. But once the coaches gave them the idea, they knew this had the potential to work. “We mutually thought we could make a good pair. Dhruv is fabulous from the backcourt, and he is really good at controlling the shuttle. He needed someone who could just finish from the front. Touchwood, it’s going well,” Tanisha said.

At Syed Modi in 2024, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath (2nd), Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy (1st) were seeded higher based on their current rankings, but in terms of long-term, Tanisha and Dhruv have a higher ceiling.

Doubles coach SR Arun Vishnu is confident they can be the best mixed doubles pair in the country.

“Going forward, even for team events, we can have a strong mixed doubles pair. Mixed doubles has been a problem area and they can sort it,” he said. “Both of them are really talented, Tanisha is brilliant at the net, she is brave and has surprise strokes. Dhruv has really buckled down with an improved focus. Both of them are driven to do well, and that is important.”

Tanisha has no hesitation in saying from here on the primary focus is mixed doubles for her. “The coaches see a lot of potential in Dhruv and I, we are 100 per cent thinking long-term. Most of my matches next year will be mixed doubles, as that is the endgame,” she said.

The tricky part, however, is going to be managing both mixed doubles and women’s doubles. Tanisha and Ashwini Ponnappa, who are in the semifinals in Lucknow, have continued their journey since Paris. Tanisha said she would continue playing this format as long as Ashwini is, because she has made a commitment to ‘didi’. And for Ashwini, the yardstick is simple: they will pair up as long as they are competing at a good level, without compromising Tanisha’s mixed doubles potential.