The tournament started with the city qualifiers rounds that were held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The winning pair from each qualifier will be flown to Hyderabad for the National Finals and will get a chance to play against Ashwini Ponnappa one of India's best doubles badminton players and a partner of her choosing.
With the growing popularity of the sport be it viewership (5th most viewed) or participation (2nd most played), the tournament aims to further boost and improve participation and popularity amongst aspiring women players.
India's ace women doubles shuttler and Red Bull athlete Ashwini Ponnappa said: "It has been my ambition to promote badminton in India, especially for women. It's great to be associated with brands like Red Bull that create such platforms and that give wings to the dreams of aspiring talent. It's been a great journey with Red Bull Shuttle Up and I only see it growing in the years to come. I would like to wish all the participants the very best of luck.
Open exclusively for women above the age of 16, all matches are played in the knock out format. All pairs will play 3 sets with 21 points (rally points). Each pair, with prior notification to the referee, can call for a super point once in a set. By calling for a super point, the pair will get 2 points if they win that particular point.
There will be no deduction of points if the pair loses that point. Players must be prepared to play 5-6 matches in a day during the event. The winning pairs of each qualifier will make it through to the National Finals on December 8 in Hyderabad.
( With inputs from IANS )