Tokyo, November 12
India shuttler duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's run in the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 badminton tournament was cut short after they conceded a defeat in the opening match of the women's doubles event on Tuesday.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medallists 20th in the badminton rankings, lost to Chinese Taipei's world No. 29 pair of Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui with a 21-16, 21-16 scoreline in the round of 32.
The Indian badminton players trailed 7-4 in the opening game before bouncing back to make it 8-all. However, the Chinese Taipei pair once again seized control with six consecutive points and went on to clinch the first game.
The second game was a similar story, Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui exuded dominance and led by five points at 12-7. Though the Indian pair equalised with five straight points, Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui moved into the second round following a strong finish.
This was the first instance when Treesa and Gayatri lost against Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui in three matches. The duo previously met at the Macau Open and the German Open earlier this year and had emerged victorious on both occasions.
Despite taking an early blow, India's top shuttlers, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will continue to lead the nation's challenge. Sindhu and Sen last competed on the BWF World Tour at the Denmark Open in the second week of October.
Sindhu, 19th in the latest badminton rankings for the women's singles, lost to Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia in the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open after defeating the People's Republic of China's then-world No. 7 Han Yue in the second round.
Sen, who finished one win short of an Olympic medal in Paris 2024, is India's lone entry in men's singles at the Kumamoto Masters Japan. The world No. 17 men's singles shuttler competed at the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open but is yet to win a match in the new Olympic cycle.