Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lose to defending champions in World Championships semi

On Saturday, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were defeated in three games by defending champions Sheng Shu Liu & Ning Tan in the semifinals of the badminton World Championships, and the Indian pair acknowledged they had been short on calmness and patience during the match.

A day after crediting a previous victory to staying calm and patient on court, Treesa and Gayatri conceded those qualities deserted them in the semifinal loss; the match went the distance against the world number ones and featured moments captured in images, including Treesa attempting a diving return while Gayatri looked on.

“I think today was just not our day. Towards the second half of the second game we lost our rhythm and they found theirs. They were also charging a lot on the net. I think we were also a bit too defensive at one point,” admitted Treesa after the match.

Gayatri said: “They were more patient while we were lacking it today, just hurrying up and wanting points. They are World No. 1 and we knew they won’t give easy points. But it’s been an amazing week, we played some great matches, lots to learn from, including today’s loss.”

Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan accepted that losing the first game affected them but stressed the need to remain composed, saying: “We are all nervous, especially in the first game when they overcame us. But I think we tried not to be affected in the second game, the match wasn’t over yet. We kept trying. In the third game, we just focused on our strengths and played at our own pace.”

“I think it’s normal to fall behind, because the other team did a good job today, they are very strong opponents. We went prepared for it. But we overcame it. It’s also a lesson for the future, to keep in mind that you can lose the first game” said the Chinese pair.