Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 badminton: Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand ousted in first round
The Indian shuttlers lost to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui in straight games. PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will play the first round on Wednesday.
Badminton
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand crashed out of the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 badminton tournament after losing their opening match in the women’s doubles event on Tuesday.
Treesa and Gayatri, 20th in the badminton rankings, went down to Chinese Taipei’s world No. 29 pair of Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui with a 21-16, 21-16 scoreline in the round of 32.
The Indian badminton players trailed 7-4 in the opening game before rallying to make it 8-all. However, the Chinese Taipei pair seized control with six consecutive points and clinched the first game.
Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui led by five points at 12-7 in the second game. Though the Indian pair equalised with five straight points, Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui moved into the second round following a strong finish.
This was the first loss for Treesa and Gayatri against Lin Jhih Yun-Hsu Yin Hui from three matches. The two teams met at the Macau Open and the German Open earlier this year and had emerged victorious on both occasions.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen will play their first-round matches at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024, a BWF Super 500 event, on Wednesday.
World No. 20 Sindhu, a former world champion, will take on 11th-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand in her women’s singles opener. Sen, 17th in the badminton rankings, will face world No. 31 Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia in the men’s singles.