Badminton: Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand outpaced by Japanese in semifinal but not embarrassed at Singapore Open

After two attractive three-set wins against World Nos 2 and 6 came the swift second set swatting against World No 4. The 23-21, 21-11 loss that Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand suffered against Japanese Nami Matsuyama – Chiharu Shida wasn’t scarring, and this week will get counted as a big positive even, because this pairing has the stomach for a fight especially against reputed pairs. But it was also the perfect example of how things can roll downhill in a matter of minutes, as the top combinations stamp their class and hand out dismissive Exit signs in tame semifinal finishes.

As learning curves go, the second set saw a nothing-game from the Indians who went down 6-20 as errors piled up and neither the body smashes that had been working swell in the first, nor the net interceptions fetched any points.

At 2-11 and the first set narrowly lost, the rotation was stuck in buffering mode and the Japanese were collecting points like a happy Pokémon hunt. The Indians would then suddenly make pointed attacks on Matsuyama and pick 5 points in a row. It showed they could’ve countered the Japanese had they regrouped faster than the 6-20 quicksand. For they had fought back minutes earlier in the opener.

Treesa-Gayatri’s dream run comes to an end against WR-4 🇯🇵 duo. 🥺

Proud of the sensational show put up by youngsters this week, beating World No. 2️⃣ & 6️⃣ on their way towards this semifinal. Keep up the good work champs. 🙌

📸: @badmintonphoto#SingaporeOpen2024#Badminton pic.twitter.com/gLmPQMrTMW

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) June 1, 2024

The Japanese, perhaps wisened by an earlier defeat to Treesa-Gayatri or having watched the two Koreans boggled by the Indians’ placement ploy, decided to strike with pace up front. In the first set, the Indians fell back 2-8, even as easy errors were gifted before nerves settled.

But what was falling into place quickly for the Indians was their rotational swirls. Crucial to that is Gayatri getting a few winners in, because Treesa can morph into dangerous with one leaping smash. Gayatri hit the groove soon enough and started toggling with the Japanese pace. They like an even tempo even if it’s fast exchanges, and that’s exactly what the Indians began disrupting. With good reflex defense, Treesa-Gayatri dragged the Japanese into lifting high. Though they had to drop back, the high lifts earned them extra time and slowed the speed of repartee. Then, Gayatri would cleverly go flat, varying the length so suddenly that the Japanese were confused, going from leading 8-2 to 12-9.

Treesa took her time to realise that her hard hits would come back unfailingly, because that’s the Japanese defense. But as is the case with this pair, she was at the heart of the counter when she subtly varied her attack to a soft drop to make it 10-12 for Indians. That singular point would mess with Matsuyama for a longish time, as she couldn’t quite read if Treesa would hit deep or float it to the front court. She often fell short reaching for the soft plonks.

15-16 was another outstanding long rally from the Indians as they defended well, sent back calculated lifts scattering the Japanese, and Treesa killed with a smash down the middle. The Indians also picked up a bunch of points with Treesa’s body attacks angled into the Japanese torsos, as they snapped at the rival heels to reach 18-19.

Gayatri overhit at this point to hand the Japanese a set point, but made amends neatly opening up the front court to finish with a whip to make it 20-20. Treesa then struck wide, and promptly returned with a wickedly smart serve variation. But the Indians couldn’t tug the opener away from the experienced Japanese fourth seeds.

In the second they were blitzed before the dust settled on the opener. To make the Super 750 semifinals alongside Top 5 names was swell. But there will be more losses than wins at this stage of their career. Not allowing the defeats to shred their confidence is what weekends will be all about, as they head to Indonesia next.

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