All England: Indian Pair Create Sensation
A teenaged pair playing their first major event produced the biggest story of the YONEX All England so far as they stunned second seeds Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan in the quarterfinals.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela, who only started playing the HSBC BWF World Tour this year and were making their Super 1000 debut at the All England, were unintimidated by the reputation of their accomplished rivals and unleashed a counterattacking game that caught the second seeds by surprise. Quite impressively for a pair unused to this level, Jolly and Pullela absorbed everything that Lee and Shin threw their way, before dialling back the pressure. Two match points saved in the second game, the momentum decisively swung the Indians’ way.
“I don’t know what to say, it’s unreal. I have goosebumps,” said Gayatri, whose father Gopichand was All England champion in 2001.
“We just gave it our best. In the second we were down 18-20, we just thought we had to fight, just one point at a time.