The Indian women's pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their All England Open semi-final match in straight games 17-21, 16-21. They were up against the Chinese pair of Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu. Treesa and Gayatri fought courageously against their more veteran Chinese opponent. But in both games, their lack of maturity was evident during the crucial moments.
The young Indian women's doubles pair had a Fairy tale ride to the semi-finals of the flagship competition, announcing themselves on the world stage.
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In the first game, the Indian girls were actually ahead 11-8 until the Chinese got their stride and progressed with a 15-15 five-point flurry, placing the problem out of the pair's range. Gayatri-Treesa stayed in the game until the 15th point of game two, but then they fell behind.
Although they did not reach the final, Gayatri, 19, and Treesa, 18, did well in becoming the first duo to reach the semi-finals of this prestigious tournament. In the pre-quarterfinals, they defeated the Olympic champions. Following that, in the quarterfinals, they defeated the World Championship silver medalists.
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Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen qualified for the men's singles final. He defeated defending champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia 21-13 12-21 21-19 in a nail-biting semi-final. The 20-year-old is on the verge of becoming only the third Indian to win the All England Open championship.