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India's women's doubles pair Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly admitted that they lost momentum after a strong start against world No. 1 Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the BWF World Championships semi-final, but said they were proud of their overall performance after securing a bronze medal.
Gayatri and Treesa won the opening game 21-18 before the Chinese defending champions bounced back to win the next two games 21-13, 21-8 and seal their place in the final. Reflecting on the defeat, Treesa said the match slipped away after the Chinese pair regained their rhythm and started building a lead. "I think today was not our day. In the first game when we won, and even in the second game, in the first half, we were in control. After that, I think they somehow got the rhythm, and we lost the rhythm," Treesa said after the match. She added that Liu and Tan's patience during rallies played a key role in their comeback. "They were getting the leads, they were ahead of us in points, and we couldn't actually catch up. I feel like they were also a bit patient while playing, and that helped them today," she added. Gayatri echoed her partner's views, saying the Indian duo needed to be more patient against a top-ranked opponent. "As Treesa said, I think they were pretty calm. We were just hurrying up; we just wanted points, and we were lacking patience. We needed to be a lot more patient because they are world number ones; they are not going to give easy points," Gayatri said. Despite missing out on a place in the final, Gayatri said the pair was satisfied with their performance at the tournament. "Other than that, it's been a pretty amazing game. We are happy with the way we played; it just wasn't our day," she added. Treesa also spoke about the confidence gained from winning the World Championships bronze medal, saying the achievements provided a boost during the tournament. "This week, both medals and the Arjuna Award gave us a boost throughout this tournament. The Asian Games are coming up, but today we just need to enjoy the medal," Treesa said. Gayatri was named a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award, alongside her women's doubles partner Treesa, which was announced earlier this month by the Centre. The bronze medal helped Gayatri and Treesa continue India's streak of winning a medal in every edition of the BWF World Championships. (ANI)
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