CHENNAI: The signs were ominous over the last year or so. They may look fresh out of school but they are quite a pro when it comes to badminton on the court. Gayatri Gopichand (20) and Treesa Jolly (19) exhibited just that on Friday by putting up a performance that could go down in history books.
The duo showed they have plenty of fight in them on the day, pulling off a three-game win (21-14, 18-21, 21-12) over China’s Li Wen Mei and Lui Xuan Xuan in just over an hour. This headline-grabbing win, which put them in the women’s doubles semifinals and in contention for the top prize, also showed that they have all the tools to rub shoulders with the best on their day.
In this very tournament, the young Indian combination punched above their weight to reach this stage of the competition.
Having shown that their feat last year was no fluke, the World No 17 pair are now in sight of something that has never been accomplished before by an Indian doubles pair in the history of the competition. Given that they have quietly gone about their business (even when they have faced early setbacks), picking brains on tour, learning from their mistakes, and all the fine aspects of the sport, it’s fair to say they are in a position of strength to do the impossible.
It’s also a chance for Gayatri to emulate her father Pullela Gopichand. And in a way the father-daughter story is similar. Like Gayatri and Treesa, Gopichand was far from favourite to claim the title. Against all odds, Gopichand had become just the second Indian to win the coveted title in 2001 in men’s singles.
History or not, they are not going down without a fight. The belief is certainly there having come so far.
“We’re going for the title,” Gayatri was quoted as saying in the BWF release. “We’re confident that we’re as good as any of the top pairs, definitely. We’re going to give our 100 per cent no matter what, and we’re going to keep fighting till the end. Let’s see what happens,” she added.
The fact that they have been part of the tour, observing their rivals up close has helped their case. While last year’s performance came as a bit of a surprise, this time they were better prepared.
“Last time the excitement was so high. We hadn’t even qualified, we were in the reserves list. We wanted to play the All-England at least once. But this time we knew we would get an entry for this tournament, and we’d prepared well. Last year we just couldn’t sleep as we were so excited. But this time feels normal,” Treesa said.
That level of maturity over the course of a year is another factor that has certainly made them stronger. It’s easy to get carried away for anyone given that they are flirting with history. They’ll hope to maintain that attitude when they take on the South Korean duo of Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee next.