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Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured India's first women's doubles badminton medal in 15 years, with the duo saying they are keen to stay focused as they prepare to face the world No. 1 seeds in the semifinal.
The Indian pair achieved the feat on their debut after battling through a tough quarterfinal match and making a comeback after a difficult start. Speaking after the win, Treesa admitted that the emotions were overwhelming immediately after the match but said the duo were now focused on the challenge ahead. "I think, after the match it was really difficult with the emotions and all. Now we are okay, like we are absorbing that, processing that. Yeah, finally this happened. And obviously, really happy that we converted this win into this semifinal and getting a medal. But it's not stopping here. There are matches coming tomorrow also," Treesa said. She credited the achievement to the collective efforts of everyone who supported them and also thanked the home crowd for their encouragement. "I want to thank, I think it's teamwork for us, I mean everyone that helped us to achieve this. And really grateful. And obviously, I want to thank the home crowd, people. I think the crowd was amazing today; that was really giving those positive vibes to us," she added. Gayatri said the pair remained calm during crucial moments of the quarterfinal and would look to adopt the same approach against the top-ranked pair. "I think today was also a pretty good match. I think it was a pretty tough match. We were down, trailing, and then even in the second set it was very tricky. But then I think we told each other to stay calm. And I think that's what we're going to do tomorrow as well," Gayatri said. "We just want to stay calm, and we just want to get on court and give our 100 per cent. Just enjoy as we did today," she added. Asked about their strategy against the world No. 1 seeds and the unforced errors they made around the net, Gayatri said the pair would enter the match with a plan but remain patient if the situation changed. "I think even in today's match, I mean they're in the top five, so I think they're not going to give it easy. So yeah, I mean we tried to catch a few where we made mistakes, but that's okay," she said. "For tomorrow's match, I think we're going to get in with a plan, but then if things change on court, then we're just going to stay calm, be patient because they're the number one seeds in the world," Gayatri added. Treesa-Gayatri are only the second Indian women's doubles pair after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa to confirm a medal for the country. Treesa said the former Indian duo's achievements have been a source of inspiration for them. "100 per cent, yeah. I think they are one of the idols for us. I think the women's doubles that they made created history in India, and I always praise and admire them," Treesa said. With a medal already assured, Treesa and Gayatri will now look to extend their campaign when they take on the world No. 1 pair in the semifinal. (ANI)
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