The commentator for the Teresa Jolie-Gayatri Gopichand match at the World Tour Finals casually noted that he could not pick up “any particular pattern” in their match, which could be exploited. It helped the Indian beat Malaysian world No. 6 Pearl Tan – Thinah Muralidharan 21-19, 21-19 to stay in contention for the semi-finals at the season-ending extravaganza in Hangzhou.
Trisa-Gayatri had an exceptional record of 1-6 against hard-hitting Purley, and rally-lengthening talent Thinah. It cost them a well-earned medal at the last Commonwealth Games. But the score, like tennis, required only settling, and under the direction of Arun Vishnu, the Indians did it in style.
Much has been said about the power-quality of their strokes in the kill shot. But what’s eye-popping in the World Tour Finals is the tremendous foot speed the Indians have deployed in their last two games, and coaches Arun Vishnu and Pullela Gopichand seem to have found a suitable counter to the power game only.
Trisa and Gayathri have been so good against the Malaysians lately that it reminds one of cutting Chirag Shetty on the front court. That particular style is about neither men’s nor women’s play, but simply Chirag’s ability to block and attack the shuttle as soon as it crosses the net.
Neither is as tall as the women, but both are hop-smashing to perfection, hitting the shuttle at a much higher point, adding a third height dimension to their game. Trisa is in the forecourt corner in an instant, and falls off the top, while Gayatri adds whips to her attack with some natty blitzing wrist work. Their tactical high lifts were decent anyway, but their defensive clear behind the court also meant they could still force the tall Pearly and Thinah to flounder when moving back.
Group A clash Tan/Muralidharan 🇲🇾 face Jolly/Pullela 🇮🇳.#BWFWorldTourFinals #Hangzhou2024 pic.twitter.com/10bDwJ1QzX
– BWF (@bwfmedia) December 12, 2024
The Indians took an early 5-1 lead and then kept the score 6-6 and 11-11, but the Indian attack from the front court was exciting. Trisa’s lateral skates make her very versatile as she looms over the net, always in possession of the monster smash she has. But slow conditions mean he rarely relies on big hits. His slice drops which sends the three Malaysians into complete chaos.
Both Indians are not having high percentage accurate shots despite being unbalanced. So Tresa blows up and reaches out the racket like an octopus while she’s still in the middle for a perfect return.
Another notable feature of the game is how Trisa and Gayatri – never mind who is in the front court or the back – work by standing in single file on the center vertical line. Front and back are hanging on the left and right sides with the stance of taking possession of their respective territories. Trisa was Gayatri’s shadow when she took the lead in both sets 17-15 and 21-19. Gayatri goes for the killing attack or Tresa takes it, choosing her point on the trajectory to attack from behind.
The Indians were on Malaysian heels in the second, but split the response from Purley-Thinah to go 10-11 to 14-12. Flick serves from Treesa and Gayatri interceptors, bringing it to 17-17, though Gayatri fouled twice at the net, looking to close out.
But his defensive clears were so well executed, that the Indians were buzzing towards a quick finish. A long 68-shot rally saw the Indians go on auto-pilot attack, but Thinah-Tan is Yee, and they slowed down all the smashes to de-veemoning levels as Thinah got one at the line at 19-18.
But a perfect Treesa short backhand crosscourt, and a Gayatri smash would earn the Indians their coveted top 10 scalp.
Tomorrow they will take on Japan’s Matsuyama-Shida in a high-stakes match, not the easiest of opponents. The Indians need a win to reach the semi-finals, and once again Tactics will hope to see them through. Both their speed and defense will be tested.
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