Treesa and Gayatri rue defensive tactics and lack of patience

On Friday, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had credited their victory to being calm on court and staying patient. On Saturday, the two admitted they had slipped up on both fronts in their three-game defeat to defending champions Sheng Shu Liu & Ning Tan in the semifinals of the badminton Worlds.

“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 constantly ahead of us and we just couldn’t catch up. When you play at this level, you need to be alert and in control on every point, points go by in the blink of an eye. They were also charging a lot on the net. A few mistakes were made and that also undermined our confidence. I think we were also a bit too defensive at one point,” a disappointed Treesa admitted after the match.

Gayatri agreed that the opponents relied on their experience and were a lot more patient. “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,” she said.

Sheng and Ning, on their part, did admit that the opening game setback affected them but insisted that maintaining composure was important. “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.”

The Chinese added that they weren’t wroiied about dropping a game for the first time in 10 matches. “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”.