Indian women’s doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa successfully defended their title at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament, registering a straight-game victory over China’s Li Hua Zhou and Wang Zi Meng in the final on Sunday.

The top-seeded duo, who also competed at the Paris Olympics, showcased a dominant performance to outclass Li and Wang 21-18, 21-12 in the summit clash that lasted 43 minutes.

The world No 16 Tanisha and Ashwini began with a bang, surging to an 8-2 lead. However, the Chinese pair narrowed the gap to 10-11 at the mid-game interval and kept the pressure on, trailing closely until 18-19. The Indian duo then held their nerves to secure the final two points and take the first game.

The second game started competitively, but the Indians pulled away with a seven-point spree, racing to a 15-6 lead. They maintained the momentum to decisively close out the match and retain the title.