China Open: Can Treesa-Gayatri rekindle their form on World Tour?

The China Open, the final Super 1000 event on the World Tour in 2024, is set to commence on Tuesday in Changzhou, China.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, India’s top-ranked women’s doubles pairing, will look to end their search for an impressive outing after a series of inconsistent results.

Ranked 26th in the world, Treesa and Gayatri returned to action at the Hong Kong Open for the first time after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

However, their campaign was cut short by a second-round defeat against China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.

At just 23-year-old, Treesa and Gayatri have shown promise in the last few seasons and are seen as a pair which has the potential to follow the footsteps of their men’s doubles counterparts Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

In 2023, Treesa and Gayatri raised expectations by reaching the All England Open semifinals and also contributed to India’s historic win at the Badminton Asia Team Championships earlier this year.

Earlier this season, Coach Vimal Kumar, hailed them as India’s medal hopefuls for the Paris Olympics.

However, injuries and inconsistency dashed their Olympic qualification hopes, despite achieving a career-high ranking of 14.

The disappointment was significant for the young pair. And now, as they begin their journey in the 2024-2028 Olympic cycle, their primary challenge will be overcoming mental barriers and regaining confidence.

Treesa, known for her powerful backcourt manoeuvres, and Gayatri, who has emerged as a credible net player, need a breakthrough win to reignite their journey on the World Tour.

The China Open, one of the most prestigious events on the World Tour, offers them a crucial opportunity to revive their hopes.

They will open their campaign against Hsieh Pei Shan and Hung En-Tzu of Chinese Taipei.

While the Indian pair is expected to win against the Chinese Taipei's unheralded duo, their second-round match against South Korea’s Jeong Na Eun, the Paris Olympics mixed doubles silver medallist, Kim Hye Jeong will pose a serious challenge.

The two pairings will meet for the first time, and a win for Treesa-Gayatri could set up a quarterfinal clash against World No. 4 Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan.

Though Matsuyama and Shida are formidable opponents, enjoying a 3-1 head-to-head record, Treesa and Gayatri know they can be beaten.

Earlier this year, in the Badminton Asia Team Championships, they defeated the Japanese pair in an epic one-hour-and-13-minute contest, keeping India’s hopes alive in the semifinals. They will hope to replicate that success in the China Open.

Should they advance to the semifinals, they are likely to face familiar foes, Malaysia’s sixth-seeded pair, Tan Pearly and Thinaah Muralitharan, in what promises to be another challenging encounter.

No representation in men's doubles

In men’s singles, India’s hopes rest on Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George.

Priyanshu, who has struggled with early exits this season, will face a tough test against Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia in the second round even if he overcomes a first-round challenge against Canada's Brian Yang.

Kiran George, meanwhile, will have his task cut out against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in his opening match.

In women’s singles, Samiya Imad Farooqui, Malvika Bansod, and Aakarshi Kashyap have challenging draws.

Samiya will face World No. 21 Kirsty Gilmour, while Malvika will be up against World No. 7 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. Aakarshi, ranked 39th, appears to have a slightly better chance compared to her compatriots as she meets World No. 40 Chiu Pin-Chian, with hopes of advancing.

India’s representation in mixed doubles includes B. Sumeeth Reddy-N. Sikki Reddy, as well as Sathish Kumar Karunakaran-Aadya Variyath, though their prospects in the tournament remain slim.

In men's doubles, India will have no representation, as World No. 3 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are yet to resume their campaign following their Paris Olympics quarterfinal exit.

Meanwhile, MR Arjun's injury means he and Dhruv Kapila remain sidelined.