Ashwini Ponnappa turns 31: Sania Nehwal, N Sikki Reddy lead birthday wishes online

One of India's leading badminton players, Ashwini Ponnappa celebrated her 31st birthday on Friday. Ponnappa was one half of the two first Indian doubles pair to win a medal in World Championships after she won a bronze at the 2011 BWF World Championship with longtime partner, Jwala Gutta.

Sania Nehwal, Sikki Reddy wish Ponnappa via social media

Former World No.1 Sania Nehwal, took to social media to wish her compatriot on her 31st birthday. Nehwal shared a picture of the Indian women's contingent at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which also included the likes of PV Sindhu and squash star Joshna Chinappa. 

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Ashwini Ponappa's partner at 2018 Commonwealth Games, N Sikki Reddy, also had a message for her mentor on her 31st birthday. Reddy, 27, won her first Commonwealth medal in 2018, beating Australian duo Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville for the bronze medal. 

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Ashwini Ponnappa is widely regarded as India's one of the greatest doubles players. Born in Karnataka to a father who was an international hockey player, Ponnappa won her first national title in 2004 in the sub-junior girls' doubles category. In 2010, Ponnappa, alongside her former partner, Jwala Gutta, became the first Indian pair win a gold medal at Commonwealth Games. The duo followed it up with a silver in the 2014 edition of the Games. Ashwini Ponnappa has also won a bronze medal at the Asian Games with Gutta. The 31-year-old held a career-high ranking of No.10 as a doubles player and No. 21 as a mixed double player. 

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Ashwini Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy pull out of 2020 Denmark Open

Ashwini Ponnappa is one of several Indian shuttlers to have backed out of Denmark Open over health and safety concerns due to the COVID-19. Ponnappa along with her partner Sikki Reddy recently backed out of the meet, joining the likes of PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri, to skip the upcoming European event. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal and former World No 1 Kidambi Srikanth will participate in the event with the hope of bringing success to India. Parupalli Kashyap, Subhankar Dey and Ajay Jayaram are also expected to participate in Denmark.

The 2020 Denmark Open will begin on Tuesday, October 13 and will be played through October 18. 

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(Image Credits: Ashwini Ponnappa Instagram Handle)