Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's extraordinary run ended with a fighting three-game loss to world No. 1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the women's doubles semifinals at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Saturday, as the Indian pair signed off with a maiden bronze medal. The unseeded Indians produced a sensational start to pocket the opening game but could not sustain the pressure against the mighty Chinese pair, going down 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 in an hour and 11 minutes. India last won a BWF World Championships medal in women's doubles in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed bronze in London.
The Indian pair didn't have a favourable head-to-head record against the Chinese, having lost six times with just one to show in seven meetings so far.
However, Treesa and Gayatri raced to a 7-2 lead to put the Chinese pair under early pressure. Liu and Tan quickly fought their way back with a series of sharp rallies. Six straight points from the Chinese pair turned the match around as they moved ahead.
The Chinese made effective use of angled returns, forcing the Indians into errors, with several shots finding the net. A nine-point run took Liu and Tan to an 11-7 lead at the interval.
The rallies were generally short, averaging around 15 shots, but the Indians began to regain their rhythm after the resumption. Treesa ended the Chinese run with a well-executed point.
Another attack at the front court forced the Chinese long, before a 31-shot rally brought the Indians level at 12-12. A fabulous exchange followed, ending with a cross-court winner from Treesa as India moved ahead.
The Indians' attack was becoming sharper. Gayatri, however, was punished for a short lift as the Chinese regained the advantage at 15-13. Treesa then produced a superb return of serve to leave the Chinese pair stretched, cutting the deficit to 14-16. A fired-up Treesa followed it with a jump smash and another aggressive play at the front court as India drew level again.
The Chinese responded with relentless attacking play and moved to 18-16, but the Indians won a video referral to make it 17-18. Treesa then produced a crouching defensive return during a flat exchange to level the scores at 18-18.
Another superb rally ended with a scathing cross-court winner from Treesa as India moved to 19-18. The unseeded pair then earned two game points after Tan found the net. They converted on their first opportunity when the Chinese pair sent a shot long, sending the home crowd into raptures.
The ecstatic home crowd roared Treesa and Gayatri on.
After the change of ends, the Chinese opened up a 3-0 lead. A short serve gave India its first point, while a lucky net cord made it 4-1 before Liu found the net. The Indians responded with a cross-court, cross-body combination and excellent follow-up play. An effective flick serve and counter-attack helped them close the gap to 4-5.
Gayatri then went long to make it 6-4. The Indians tried to put pressure on the Chinese with pushes towards the backline, but a few errors crept in, with Treesa sending one long to make it 7-4. Gayatri's attacking shots from the back court began forcing the Chinese wide.
Treesa's cross-court drop made it 6-8, before a Chinese smash into the net reduced the deficit further to 7-8. Treesa found the net, but followed it with another tricky cross-net shot to make it 9-10. India drew level at 10-10 before taking the lead when the Chinese defence produced two errors.
However, Liu and Tan wrested the lead back at 12-11.
A 49-shot rally followed, but Treesa eventually found the net. A tumble serve set up the next point for the Chinese, who opened a 14-12 lead. The Indians then sent another shot wide, followed by two net errors from Gayatri, allowing China to move to 17-12.
Another precise shot onto the backline made it 18-12, before Gayatri's long lift gave the Chinese a 19-12 advantage. Treesa then found the net as the Chinese earned eight game points. Liu and Tan converted their second opportunity to take the match into a decider.
The third game began with intense rallies, with India winning a 56-shot exchange to make it 2-2. The Chinese then changed the pace effectively to move 4-2 ahead. The Indians appeared slightly passive in defence, and Liu targeted Treesa with a body return to make it 6-2.
The Indians continued to fight, but errors began to hurt them. A net shot stayed inside, leaving Treesa disappointed, before another Indian error and a shot wide allowed China to take an 11-5 lead at the interval.
Treesa and Gayatri didn't dial up the same intensity as the first game as the Chinese moved to 12-5 before a flick serve took them to 14-5. It was a one-way traffic as the Chinese moved to 17-7. Eventually a perfect cross-court winner gave Liu and Tan 12 match points, and they sealed the contest with a cross-court shot.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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