Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in their women’s doubles quarter-final clash at the ongoing BWF World Championships. The Indian duo sealed a 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 victory, making it their first win against their Chinese opponents.
Jolly, Gopichand are also the first Indian pair to reach the women’s doubles semifinals in 15 years. The last Indian women’s doubles pair to win a Worlds medal was Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa (bronze).
The Indian pair entered the quarterfinals in dominant form as they eased past Japan’s Iwanaga and Nakanishi in the Round of 16, securing a 21-16, 21-12 victory. Meanwhile, in the Round of 32, they defeated Lam and Lee. In the Round of 64, Jolly-Gopichand beat Spain’s Lopez and Rodrigues 21-9, 21-13.
The quarterfinal was their first real test. They had lost all three of their earlier meetings against Jia and Zhang. Before the match, many probably expected the Indian pair to lose again, but they proved their critics wrong.
Jolly, Gopichand started the first game on a poor note. Jolly conceded the first two points. The first was from a baseline mistake and the other from a failed attempt to return. Jia and Zhang took a 4-0 lead, and then it was followed by an entertaining 57-shot rally, which the Chinese pair ended up winning.
Jolly-Gopichand opened their account after a mistake from their opponents, which energised the home crowd. But Jia and Zhang kept their composure, moving to 8-2. India bounced back soon and closed the gap to 8-9. Jia and Zhang managed to maintain their composure, taking an 11-8 lead, before wrapping up the first game 21-16.
India’s comeback
The second game saw India’s strong comeback. Jolly showed aggression, taking the first point. Jia and Zhang did take an early lead, but India had other plans and began to test their opponents. After a 48-shot exchange, they moved within one point at 4-5. Then the contest became about patience and resilience. Jolly and Gopichand took the lead for the first time, but faced stiff resistance from their opponents.
Both teams tried their best, with Jolly-Gopichand taking the second game at 21-15.
In the decider, Jolly-Gopichand kept up the pressure and sealed an easy 21-13 victory, ending India’s 15-year wait.