Syed Modi International: Treesa-Gayatri defend women’s title, Srikanth suffers heartbreak

The Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand retained the women’s doubles crown but Kidambi Srikanth’s hopes of snapping an eight-year title drought went up in smoke as he suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final of the Syed Modi International Super 300 here Sunday.

Former winner Srikanth, a 2021 world championships silver medallist, went down 16-21 21-8 20-22 to world No. 59 Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong in a 67-minute thriller.

The 32-year-old last won a title in 2017 at the French Open and came close earlier this year, finishing runner-up at the Malaysia Masters Super 500.

Defending champions Treesa and Gayatri, however, produced an attacking masterclass to rally from a game down and outwit the world No. 35 pair of Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe 17-21 21-13 21-15 in a pulsating one hour and 16-minute final.

“We were prepared for a long match, we knew the match would go on for an hour at least because the opponents are Japanese. First set was not that great but we changed strategy and there was lot of attacking rallies and it all worked,” Gayatri said.

They were playing only their second event since Gayatri’s return from a five-month shoulder injury layoff.

“I hadn’t played a lot in last few months, so this tournament is a big boost for me for the season ahead, so I am very happy,” said Gayatri, adding that World Tour events in Malaysia and India are the next targets.

Srikanth vs Gunawan

Gunawan started strongly, moving 4-1 ahead and going into the break with a three-point lead. Errors crept into the Indian’s game as his lifts floated long, helping Gunawan move to 14-10.

Srikanth replied with crisp smashes but the Hong Kong shuttler stayed sharp, surging to 17-11 with a straight winner. Srikanth saved three game points before Gunawan sealed the opener.

Switching sides brought a renewed Srikanth, who injected pace and produced razor-sharp smashes and superb retrieves to race to 6-1. Though Gunawan broke the run, Srikanth maintained pressure to lead 11-4 and earned 13 game points, converting on the second.

The decider saw Srikanth lead 5-1 before a jaw-dropping retrieval helped Gunawan narrow it to 4-5 and then 6-5. Srikanth edged ahead 11-10 at the interval.

After resumption, he moved to 14-11, but Gunawan fought back to 14-14. The pair traded points to 19-19 before Gunawan sealed the match at 22-20 with a jump smash and an attacking return.

“99.9% it was a good event for me,” said Srikanth.

“At 20-all, you can’t say much. If one or two shots had fallen inside, things could have been different. Jason played really well. The last few points are always close. At 19-19, I smashed out, so it could have gone either way. It was just a matter of a few points here and there.”

“I have worked a lot on a lot of things, it is difficult to make a comeback from injuries, my coaches Gopi bhaiya, Guru, physical strengthening coach, trainer, it is going well, just have to work on a few little things,” Srikanth said.

Treesa-Gayatri show class

The women’s doubles final began with a breathtaking 49-shot rally, setting the tone for a high-intensity contest as both pairs fought tooth and nail before Osawa and Tanabe edged ahead 6-3. A couple of sharp smashes from Treesa pulled the Indians level but the Japanese regrouped to take a slender lead at the interval.

They maintained their hold to stretch it to 18-15 before grabbing five game points. Treesa and Gayatri saved two, but Tanabe closed out the opener with a smash.

Switching sides brought a momentum shift as the Indians found their rhythm and showed excellent anticipation to surge to 9-2 before holding an 11-5 advantage at the break, bolstered by another booming Treesa smash from the backcourt.

Treesa and Gayatri continued to dictate the rallies, marching to 17-9. Treesa’s quick racquet speed and sharp movement allowed her to rain down attacking returns as the Indians forced a decider.

In the third game, the Indians moved to 7-4 before miscommunication cost them a few points. But sharp net interceptions restored control, and a deceptive net shot from Treesa followed by another well-constructed point gave them a six-point cushion at the interval.

Osawa and Tanabe narrowed the deficit to 12-14, and later 13-15, but a fired up Treesa produced another disguised net shot, and Gayatri unleashed a sharp smash as the Indians closed in on the title.

A delicate drop from Treesa, and a wide shot from the Japanese handed India six match points, and they converted on the second to retain the crown.

“When we started playing together, coordination was an issue, but now we are all-round players—me and Gayatri can play anywhere. Our rotation was good, and it was on display today,” Treesa said.