Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand registered a fighting three-game win over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe. (Screengrabs) Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand held their nerve and their crown, overcoming Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe in a tense three-game final to retain the women’s doubles title at the Syed Modi International Super 300 on Sunday. The top-seeded Indian pair, playing just their second tournament since Gayatri’s return from a five-month shoulder injury layoff, battled for one hour and 16 minutes before sealing a 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 win.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The final opened with a gruelling 49-shot rally, setting the stage for a contest built on pressure and precision. Osawa and Tanabe were sharper early, moving ahead 6-3, but a burst of aggressive play from Treesa — including a couple of clean smashes — helped the Indians pull level and then edge ahead 8-6. The Japanese climbed back to lead at the interval and stayed marginally in front, stretching the advantage to 18-15. A sharp backhand from Tanabe and an Indian error handed them game points, and despite Treesa and Gayatri saving two, the Japanese clinched the opener. Switching sides transformed the momentum. Treesa and Gayatri immediately found better length and rhythm, racing to a dominant 9-2 lead with improved anticipation and more proactive front-court work. Treesa’s booming backcourt hitting pushed the gap wider as India carried an 11-5 lead into the break. From there, they controlled the tempo, surging to 20-11. After squandering two game points, a long lift from the Japanese forced the match into a decider. The third game swung early in India’s favour at 7-4, though a brief spell of miscommunication let Osawa and Tanabe back in. A string of sharp net interceptions steadied the Indians before Treesa’s disguised touch at the tape and another well-constructed point created a six-point cushion at the interval. The Japanese threatened at 12-14 and 13-15, but the Indians responded with a deft net shot from Treesa and a crisp Gayatri smash to regain control. A tight drop from Treesa and an errant Japanese shot handed India six match points. They needed only two, completing a composed comeback and successfully defending their title.
AloJapan.com