How Treesa-Gayatri’s Syed Modi Super 300 title offers a timely reminder of their potential after tough 2024 | Badminton News
At 16-14 in the opening game of the women’s doubles final, things were on a knife edge. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had the slender lead but Bao Li Jing and Li Qian were – as you’d expect from any level of a Chinese doubles pairing – were proving tough to crack. The 38-shot rally that followed proved critical, as Treesa showed patience from the backcourt to not just go for the kill despite the Chinese constantly lifting the shuttle, and Gayatri kept the rally going from the front court. They showed they could play the waiting game, and that it wasn’t just about attack. “That was so well played, there was a lot of mixing up of the pace. They didn’t just go flat out attack. Treesa was very patient there,” Ashwini Ponnappa, on commentary duties for BWF, remarked.
It was the cornerstone of Treesa-Gayatri’s title win at the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow on Sunday, as they clinched their first ever Super 300 title on the BWF World Tour. They beat Bao and Li 21-18 21-11 in 41 minutes and in the process, became the first ever Indian pair to win the women’s doubles title at this event.
The first game was close and could have gone either way. But once the Indians got a handle of what was in front of them, they dominated the second game. It wasn’t attacking dominance, too. The scoreline might be misleading that way, but 21-11 was possible largely because of some sensational defence. A 17-7 lead in Game 2 was mighty comfortable for the Indians, but Treesa threw herself to her right with a dive to retrieve the shuttle and while she was momentarily taken out of the equation, Gayatri single-handedly kept the rally going before rushing to the net to kill the point. It was thrilling defence and it brought the crowd to their feat.
“You can see the defence today, the attitude that we don’t want to give up,” coach SR Arun Vishnu told The Indian Express. “That was pleasing. Not just for the crowd, even for us sitting behind on the coaching chair, it was thrilling to watch.”
Bao/Li 🇨🇳 take to the court against No.2 seeds Jolly/Pullela 🇮🇳 for a title shot.#BWFWorldTour #SyedModi2024 pic.twitter.com/sdO5msKHgS
— BWF (@bwfmedia) December 1, 2024
“First 300 title, so it’s obviously special,” said Vishnu, before quickly adding there is more work to do. “We have been waiting for this for a long time. So next is at least a Super 500. We are already thinking about that because they are capable of achieving it. More than the final, the semi-final was probably the best win. The Thai pair (Aimsaard sers) is tough to beat. Also, now they have figured out how to maintain themselves over such a period and be fit for three weeks. That’s the main takeaway for me. We don’t have to be behind them now for that.”
Acing patience
Women’s doubles at the top level can often be daunting for strokemakers because patience eventually is queen. For that, fitness is key. It is where the Indians missed out last year. It proved costly for their Paris 2024 qualification.
“It was painful for them to miss out on Paris,” Vishnu said. “You could see this year they have made it to the top 8 and qualified for the World Tour Finals, that means their level is right up there. This reiterates they are on the right track. They have improved a lot from where they were last year this time. Their errors have come down, and there is patience to play the longer rallies, hanging in there and waiting for their chances.”
Indeed, as India’s only representatives at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, there is some vindication for Treesa-Gayatri that they can still go on to fulfil their potential. “They played quite a few quarterfinals this year on tour, maybe next year they can improve that consency. It’s coming, that consency,” the coach added.
“This year has been quite challenging, some hard losses mixed with some good wins. Happy to get to the World Tour Finals, it’s only the top 8 of the year. It’s going to be a challenge, but it is equally important for us to be playing at the level, representing India,” said Gayatri. “I think the word is blissful,” Treesa added. “I have only seen the World Tour Finals on TV, and now it feels great that we have gotten the entry for it.”
The World Tour Finals will bookend a difficult 2024 for them, but in essence, it is a launchpad for bigger and better wins in 2025 for these two 21-year-olds.
