Singapore Open 2024: Treesa-Gayatri Highlight Their Rising Supremacy in World Badminton Before Semi-Final Exit

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New Delhi, Jun 1: India's emerging badminton stars, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, once again showcased their remarkable talent on the global stage, becoming the first Indian women's players to reach the semi-final stage of a BWF Super 750 tournament in Singapore this week.

Ranked 30th in the world, Treesa and Gayatri delivered stunning performances, upsetting the world no. 2 duo Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea in the pre-quarters.

They continued their impressive run by coming from behind to defeat the sixth-seeded Olympic and World Championship bronze medallists Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in the quarterfinals at the Singapore Open badminton tournament.

In the semi-finals on Saturday (June 1), the unseeded duo faced fourth seeds Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. Despite a valiant effort, they lost 21-23, 11-21 on Saturday. However, this loss does not overshadow their impressive journey and the significance of their achievements in the tournament.

Having missed out on the Paris Olympic berth partly due to Gayatri's injury concerns and the exceptional results by the experienced Ashwini Ponnappa and her young partner Tanisha Crasto, Treesa and Gayatri were seeking redemption during this Asian swing. Their performance in Singapore demonstrated that they remain a formidable force in world badminton.

Treesa and Gayatri are also notable for being the only Indian women's doubles pair to reach the semi-finals of BWF Super 1000 events, achieving this feat consecutively at the prestigious All England Championship in 2022 and 2023.

Earlier this year, the duo played a crucial role in helping the Indian women's team win their first-ever Badminton Asia Team Championship title by winning all their matches. Their victory over Matsuyama and Shida in the semi-finals against Japan set the tone for an upset win for India, echoing their earlier success against China in the group stage.

They also contributed significantly to India's first Badminton Asia Mixed Team bronze in 2023, defeating the 2022 French Open Super 750 champions Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan of Malaysia in the group stage, and winning the deciding rubber against Hong Kong in the quarterfinals.

"We are happy that Tanisha-Ashwini qualified for the Paris Olympics. Although youngsters Treesa-Gayatri missed the Olympic berth, the way they put everything aside and fought in Singapore to defeat two world top-10 pairs shows their tenacity and ability to match the best in the world when they are at their best. We are sure that they will also bring more laurels for the country soon," said Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary of the Badminton Association of India.

At just 21 years old, Treesa and Gayatri are undoubtedly poised to lead the charge for Indian women's doubles in the foreseeable future. Their performances in Singapore and other international tournaments signal a bright future for Indian badminton on the world stage.