Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, two of India’s rising badminton stars, cemented their place in the annals of the sport by securing a spot in the second consecutive All England Championship semi-finals with a thrilling 21-14, 24-22 victory over Yuki Fukishama and Sayka Hirota.
The World Number 17 women’s pair, tactical execution has been flawless; they have so far appeared strong in their defence and have attacked with ease. They have reached the semi-finals on back-to-back occasions, which made it much easier for them than in the previous tournament, where they were only added to the main draw at the last minute.
This quarterfinal victory is particularly noteworthy because it came after securing the bronze medal at the recently finished Commonwealth Games.
Their triumph at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship, when they defeated Tan Pearly and Thinnah Muralitharan, world No. 7, was noteworthy.
Throughout the course of the past year, they have a stellar record versus higher-rated teams, where they have not only challenged but also fully outperformed them.
It was a completely one-sided match when these two Indian pairs defeated the Chinese pair of Li and Liu in the pre-quarterfinals.
Both national coaches Mathias Boe and Arun Vishnu deserve praise for their continual coaching of these two players from the sidelines and for ensuring that India didn’t lose the game’s pivotal moments.
These two players’ aggressive purpose allowed them to take the early lead with a score of 6-2.
The Chinese team played a superb game, which allowed them to achieve a score of 6-6.
Finally, India made a strong comeback with precise shots that allowed them to grab a 6 point advantage, making the final score 12-6.
India gradually took the lead, displaying absolute domination as they rapidly added 6 more points to their total, bringing the score to 18-12.
The manner India played in the end was really a formality that they eventually finished in flair, sealing the deal in their favour.
