Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand stoke national imagination at the World Championship

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand produced a first game of rare composure and intensity against the world number one pairing of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in the women’s doubles semifinal of the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The Indians opened with a brisk tempo, seizing early initiative through tight net play and sharp interceptions. They kept the shuttle low, dealing blows at the first opportunity and racing to a 7-2 lead. Kill shots at the net, combined with alacrity around the forecourt, allowed them to navigate the pressure, though the Chinese clawed back to 6-7.

A crosscourt push into the far left corner reduced the deficit to one before a midcourt smash from Tan edged the Chinese ahead at 8-7. Another sharp drop from Tan made it 9-7.

Tan then cleared a backhand deep from just above her chest. A quick response at the net by Liu drew an error from Gayatri as the teams broke at 11-7. The Chinese continued to play close to the body, forcing the Indians into defensive lifts and extending the lead to 12-7. Gayatri responded with a solid return followed by aggressive punches from the net, clawing the score to 10-12. The home crowd roared with every Indian point. Solid defence and persistent attack brought the Indians level at 12-12.

After a feisty exchange where the Chinese applied pressure on the backhand, Treesa and Gayatri kept the shuttle in play until Treesa found the open court with a crosscourt drive for 13-12.

Liu and Tan showed guile and intensity to surge to 16-13, including a deep serve that stretched Gayatri in vain. Unrelenting, the Indians stuck to their pattern with monk-like discipline. The battle intensified until the score reached 16-16. An unsuccessful Chinese challenge after a short flick serve allowed Treesa to unleash thundering smashes and take the lead at 19-18. A backhand error handed the Indians game point. Another Chinese error long secured the opening game 21-18. The Indians appeared far more organized and compact while the Chinese scrambled for coverage. The world number one pair found themselves in deep trouble as the crowd urged the Indians onward.

Liu and Tan settled quickly at the start of the second game, racing to 3-0 with a smash and capitalizing on a midcourt mix-up. Another smash close to Treesa’s waist made it 5-2. Relentless pressure earned the Indians a vital point to 3-5, followed by a jump smash from Gayatri at the net for 4-5. China led 6-4. An unsuccessful Indian challenge after a wide push left the score at 4-7. The Chinese then pushed wide for 5-7.

Deception earned the Indians a point at 6-8, and a Chinese error into the net closed the gap to one. Treesa found the net with an attempted smash to make it 7-9, but Tan sent a smash long for 8-9. A delectable touch at the net restored Indian confidence at 9-10. Treesa then pounded Tan’s backhand to take the interval lead at 11-10 with a set already banked.

The Chinese returned intent on recovery. Brilliant defence in a long rally helped them inch ahead at 13-12. They cramped the Indians at every opportunity, forcing errors into the solid Indian arsenal. China pulled clear to 17-12 as Gayatri found the net. An unsuccessful challenge left the score 18-12. Game points arrived at 20-12. After the pairs had been level at 12-12, a series of Indian mistakes, often finding the net, conceded the second game 13-21.

"In the second set, they played quite patiently, and I think we couldn't match that. In the third set, there were points we could have converted, but the rhythm just didn't come. The few mistakes we made left us a little doubtful, and we went too defensive," admitted Gayatri.

All remained to play for in the third with a place in the final on the line. A thundering smash into Gayatri’s midriff set an intense tone. In a brilliant expression of resilience and belief, Treesa and Gayatri survived a blistering attack long enough to induce an error from the flustered Chinese and level at 2-2. Finding the net with the backhand cost points, yet the Indians defended skilfully to stay in touch.

The relentless Chinese attack bore fruit as they raced to 8-3. A delectable drop by Treesa stemmed the tide and clawed the score to 5-8. A deceptive back-to-net crosscourt drive earned China another point before Liu thundered from the backcourt into Treesa’s knees for an 11-5 advantage at the change of ends.

A misread service return and a push too far extended the Chinese lead to 15-5. A thumping forecourt winner by Treesa reached 7, but the serve changed hands again at 16-7. The net became a constant obstacle as China climbed to 17-7. When the Chinese flew out beyond the backline the Indians took the serve at 8-18 only to return the shuttle a point later. Tan let out a scream of relief after smashing her way to match points at 20-8 and promptly closed the contest 21-8. Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning advanced to the final 18-21, 21-13, 21-8.

"Yesterday's match was pretty intense, so it was tough mentally," said Treesa. "Today, when we were on court, we were fresh in the first set. But sometimes mentally, you get a little tired."
"It's teamwork. Gayatri gives me more opportunities to attack. But I feel I need to be more patient while attacking and bring more variations to my strokes."

On Saturday elsewhere at the championships, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China recovered to defeat Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah of Indonesia 20-22, 21-14, 22-20 in mixed doubles while Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France overcame Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin of China 19-21, 21-13, 21-11. Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of Korea defeated Li Yijing and Luo Xumin of China 21-17, 21-12 in women’s doubles. Alex Lanier of France beat Victor Lai of Canada 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in men’s singles and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-12, 21-17 in women’s singles.