Diju aiming at least quarters of ABC

New Delhi: One half of India`s best mixed doubles badminton pair, V Diju hopes to reach at least the quarterfinals of the Asian Badminton Championship with Jwala Gutta.

Top seeds Diju and Jwala will clash with a qualifier in the first round and the Kerala shuttler said considering the draw they should safely reach at least the quarterfinals. "I have seen the draw and I feel looking at it we should reach the quarters at least. We in all probability will meet a Chinese pair there and from there on it will be tough," he said. "I have a little pain in my back but it should be ok," he added. However, his partner Jwala said she is just concentrating on the first round and she has not seen the full draw. "I have not seen the whole draw and I am just concentrating on the first round and take one match at a time. It will be a great environment with all the home support and we should perform well," he said. Asked if form is a concern considering their recent performance in the All England and Swiss Open where they were knocked out in the first round, Diju said it was not much of a concern as they have got enough time to practice and things are looking better. "We didn`t have the kind of start to the season that we would have wanted and we lost in the first rounds of the last two events but this won`t matter. We had a gap of 10-15 days and we practiced hard for the event," he said. "Also many top pairs are not playing like the Danish pair of Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl. But even then it is a good field as there are not much difference among the top 20 in mixed doubles," he added. PTI