BWF Worlds: Treesa-Gayatri celebrate stunning comeback, say journey is ‘not stopping yet’

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reflected on their stunning comeback win over world No. 4 Chinese pair Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian, which secured India’s first women’s doubles medal at the BWF Worlds since 2011 and a semifinal spot

New Delhi: Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand pulled off a marvellous come-from-behind win in their quarterfinal meeting against World No. 4 Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the BWF World Championships to march into the semifinals and confirm India’s first medal at the ongoing edition here.

After losing the first game against the Chinese duo, the Indian pair staged a comeback for the ages to win the epic contest 16-21, 21-15, 21-13, which also sealed India’s first medal in women’s doubles since 2011 when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa bagged a bronze.

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Speaking after their 70-minute battle against the Chinese, Treesa and Gayatri reflected on beating Jia and Zhang for the first time, while also stating that their journey is “not stopping yet”.

“We’re really happy that we converted this win into this semifinal and getting a medal, but it’s not stopping yet. There are matches coming tomorrow also,” Treesa told reporters after the win.

“And obviously, I want to thank, I think it’s teamwork for us, everyone that helped us to achieve this, and really grateful, and obviously I want to thank the home crowd people. I think the crowd was amazing today; that was really giving positive vibes to us,” she said.

The duo also reflected on the message that chief national coach and legendary former shuttler Pullela Gopichand shared with them amidst the tense game at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

“From the start, he was telling that be in the present moment and very calm, because that helped us score the points, and that really worked today,” Treesa added. “We were just be patient and waiting for the right time to score the points. I think that really worked,” she said.

The Indian pair had never defeated this Chinese duo in their previous three meetings, and they were staring at a similar result when they were outplayed in the first game. Speaking on their comeback and a face-off against top seeds Liu Sheng Shu / Tan Ning of China, Gayatri emphasised that calmness helped them today, and they look to repeat the process in the semifinal too.

“It was a pretty tough match. We were down, trailing, and then even in the second set it was very tricky, but then we told each other to stay calm, and I think that’s what we’re going to do tomorrow as well. We just want to stay calm, and we just want to get on court and give our 100 per cent, just enjoy as we did today,” Gayatri, daughter of legendary Pullela Gopichand, said.

Treesa and Gayatri became just the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a Worlds medal after Jwala and Ashwini. The young duo draws inspiration from their predecessors. “Yeah, 100%. I think they’re one of the ideals for us. They have created history for India in women’s doubles, and I always praise and admire them,” Treesa said.

Gayatri has her father as her coach behind her. He has been supporting her since her very early days. On having the legendary Pullela behind her during matches, Gayatri said, “It’s really special. He’s a huge support, he’s been a huge contribution, and I just think I’m super grateful that he can travel with me and that he can sit behind our matches.”

The crowd gave their full support to the duo to help them stage a comeback even when Treesa and Gayatri failed to score points. “It’s amazing. Usually when we’re abroad, we have to push each other, but then here, the crowd is just carrying us. Like I said, even after the first set, they were so supportive, and then the chants and everything, I think it gave us a huge boost of confidence. So, yeah, I’m super grateful for them,” Gayatri concluded.