New Delhi: The Indian women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand signed off with a bronze medal after going down to defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 in the women’s doubles semifinals played in New Delhi on Saturday.
Despite the heartbreaking end to their fairytale run, Treesa and Gayatri walk away with a historic bronze medal—India’s first women’s doubles medal at the World Championships in 15 years after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011.
The Indian pair, haunted by injury setbacks, finally achieved their career’s biggest moment on home soil when they beat one of the title favourites, outplaying fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals to assure themselves of a medal.
Treesa, whose ankle injury earlier this year had ruled her out of competition for three months, and Gayatri came to the World Championships without much momentum, but they pulled off one of the biggest results of this edition, outplaying fourth seeds in the quarterfinals.
The Indians came into the semifinals with an aim of becoming the first Indian pair to enter the women’s doubles final at the World Championships, but the Chinese proved a bit too strong for them and thwarted their dream of entering a historic final.
Fuelled by the deafening roar of the home crowd, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand ignited the arena early, charging out to a commanding 4-1 lead with sharp intensity. However, the top-seeded Chinese duo of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning quickly showcased their class. Refusing to let the momentum slip away, Liu and Tan staged a swift, clinical fightback, clawing their way back to narrow the gap to 7-5.
A net foul by the Indian pair handed the momentum right back, levelling the scores at 7-all and hushing the partisan crowd. Capitalising on the sudden energy shift, the Chinese pair snatched the lead at 8-7.
Unforced errors began to creep into the Indians’ game, handing away easy points to their ruthless opponents. Liu and Tan seized the opening without hesitation, motoring ahead to seal a comfortable 11-7 cushion heading into the mid-game interval.
After the break, Treesa and Gayatri immediately shifted gears. Playing with sharp tactical precision at the net, the Indian duo forced their opponents into a string of unforced errors, slicing the deficit to 11-12.
Treesa then unleashed her aggression, dominating the backcourt and forcing the Chinese pair onto the back foot to cap off a thrilling 31-shot rally. Another gruelling exchange swung the lead back in India’s favour, though Liu and Tan responded with retaliation, swiftly reclaiming a 16-13 advantage.
But Treesa’s explosive attacks kept the Chinese pair from pulling away. The Indians clawed their way back once more to level the proceedings at 16-all. The arena turned into a pressure cooker as both pairs stood neck-and-neck, trading blows in lightning-fast flat exchanges and exhausting, end-to-end rallies.
The pendulum swung again when the Chinese pair edged ahead to 18-16, but Treesa and Gayatri saved their absolute best for the climax. Displaying pristine court coverage and razor-sharp shots, the Indians reeled off consecutive points to outmanoeuvre the Chinese and earn a coveted game point.
With chief coach Pullela Gopichand signalling calmly from the sidelines to keep their composure, the Indian pair held their nerve brilliantly, closing out a thrilling opening game 21-18.
The top-seeded Chinese pair came out firing in the second game, quickly establishing a 4-1 lead and stretching it to 5-2. Refusing to panic or rush into reckless aggression, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand methodically chipped away at the deficit, patience paying off as they clawed back to 7-8.
A flurry of sudden unforced errors briefly swung the momentum back to Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, but the Indian pair regrouped instantaneously. Splicing together precise placements and sharp defense, Treesa and Gayatri levelled the score at 10-all before edging ahead to carry a thrilling 11-10 advantage into the mid-game interval.
Coming out of the break, the Chinese duo unleashed an absolute storm, re-engaging with all guns blazing to snatch back a 12-11 lead. However, the defining moment of the game arrived in a monumental 49-shot rally where Liu and Tan narrowly claimed to restore a one-point cushion.
Riding the high of that marathon exchange, the Chinese pair seized complete control, stringing together five consecutive points to build a commanding 17-12 lead. Unrelenting till the final push, Liu and Tan closed out the second game 21-13 to force a high-stakes deciding set.
With everything on the line, the decider began as a high-stakes encounter, both pairs exchanging fierce, exhaustive rallies to lock the score early at 2-all. But Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning swiftly shifted into another gear. Unleashing a display of raw power, the Chinese pair broke open a four-point cushion at 6-2.
Treesa and Gayatri managed to stem the tide momentarily with a couple of clever, delicate interventions at the net to trim an 8-3 deficit, but the top seeds refused to let up, storming to a dominant 11-5 advantage at the final mid-game interval.
Any hopes of a dramatic Indian comeback faded after the change of sides. Maintaining a tight grip on the tempo, Liu and Tan extended their chokehold to a formidable 15-5 lead, leaving Treesa and Gayatri with an insurmountable mountain to climb.
The Indian duo fought, but the clinical Chinese pair protected their 10-point cushion, suffocating every attempt at a run before closing out a decisive 21-8 victory in the decider to seal the match.
(IANS)
