In this week’s neighboring Super 300 event, the Macau Badminton Open, Chinese Taipei (CT) impressively fielded 35 pairs across men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles categories. Out of the 12 women’s doubles pairs that competed in the main draw, five were from Taiwan, and three made it to the quarterfinals.
This means that Indian pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand managed to defeat two CT pairs in the past two days. However, they were knocked out in the semifinals by the third Taiwanese duo, Hsieh Pei Shan and Huang En-Tzu.
The Rise of Taipei’s Doubles Dominance
The athletes from East Asia, particularly from China, Taiwan, and Japan, have been quietly perfecting their skills in training over the past Olympic cycles. They enter tournaments in large numbers, advancing at an impressive speed while steadily climbing the rankings. The Taipei team, ranked 54th, might seem unthreatening when looking at the rankings, but this is misleading, as many of their athletes have been largely absent from the international stage until the start of the new Olympic cycle.
Many of these 35 players are either young athletes in their teens or early twenties, or second or third-tier players from Taipei’s “badminton factories.” Despite their lower world rankings, their technical skills and match levels can be formidable, especially when they compete as unseeded players.
A Tough Path for Treesa and Gayatri
At 21 years old, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have already been on the circuit for three seasons, drawing significant attention. While they were the top-seeded pair in the Macau draw, winning their first Super 300 title was far from easy.
In the semifinals, they faced a more experienced Taipei pair, the 8th-seeded Hsieh Pei Shan and Huang En-Tzu, against whom they had already lost twice in the past three months. Interestingly, in Macau, PV Sindhu had won three consecutive titles and a World Championship bronze before making her mark at the Olympics, when the event was still considered a beginner-level competition.
This year, however, Taipei’s development teams, including the gold medal-winning men’s doubles pair Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, have shone particularly brightly on the international stage.
Taipei’s Growing Force in Women’s Doubles
Although none of the CT women’s doubles pairs are ranked in the world’s top 25, five pairs have suddenly surged into the top 35. Macau is one of the earliest examples of China and Chinese Taipei’s strategy to showcase their sheer numbers on the world stage. Given their foundational skill level, this is a concerning trend. These players are currently hidden somewhere on page three of the rankings, but their jumps in the rankings can be as large as 19 or 38 places as they chase smaller titles.
In contrast, a few of the top women’s doubles pairs from China, Korea, and Japan, ranked in the top 15, are gradually retiring or being reshuffled. Beneath the surface, a new wave of young talents is emerging, not just from mainland China but also from a resurgent Taipei, looking to break into the spotlight.
The Challenge for India’s Doubles Teams
Ranked 23rd, the Indian team is still grappling with some minor issues but faces a stiff challenge in terms of playing style—faster, more aggressive, and more powerful. China’s rising stars, like Liu Sheng Shu (20) and Tan Ning (21), currently ranked third in the world, have redefined the game, making it fiercer than ever before. Much like the competition in semiconductor innovation, what happens in China today likely happened in Taiwan yesterday, and the results will be seen in the coming months—badminton follows the same trend.
India has four mixed doubles pairs, and while they haven’t performed poorly, they have not made significant progress in breaking into the top 50 (with eight pairs within the top 100). However, Olympian Tanisha Crasto has been showing promise in the mixed doubles category, a format more suited to her style. The Panda sisters, Rituparna and Swetaparna, ranked 47th, along with Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, ranked 50th, have made earnest attempts but haven’t progressed much on foreign soil. The Indian team needs to deliver standout performances to advance.
Moving Forward: Treesa and Gayatri’s Determination
As for the Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand duo, while they haven’t had a standout breakthrough in India, they will need to rise to the challenge of facing strong opponents and adapt to setbacks caused by injuries. To achieve their best, they must perform at the highest level against these powerhouse teams.
