A comeback quarterfinal win
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand pulled off a comeback victory over China's fourth-seeded Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in the women's doubles quarterfinals at the BWF World Championships 2026, played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Friday, August 21. Jia and Zhang entered the match with five World Championships medals and two Olympic medals between them. The Indian pair trailed by a game and faced a tricky second game before completing the win when Jia sent the shuttle wide on match point, sending Gayatri sprawling on the court as Treesa rushed to embrace coaches Pullela Gopichand and B. Sumeeth Reddy.
India's first women's doubles medal since 2011
The victory secured Treesa and Gayatri a place in the semifinals and, with it, assured India of a women's doubles medal at the World Championships for the first time in 15 years. The pair broke down after the win and took a long break before returning to speak to the media. Speaking afterward, Treesa said processing the result had been difficult but the team was okay and determined to continue, while Gayatri said the duo would try not to think too much about the outcome and focus on giving their best in the next match.
A long road back for Treesa
Treesa's run to the medal round followed a four-month absence from competition after she landed on Gayatri's foot during a training session on April 1, suffering two ligament tears and two high-grade muscle tears. She was prescribed seven weeks of bed rest and two months of rehabilitation, ruling her out of events including the Badminton Asia Championships. The pair returned at the Indonesia Open in June after a two-month layoff and lost in the first round in Jakarta before winning the Philippine International Challenge to rebuild match sharpness.
Next opponent and outlook
Treesa and Gayatri are scheduled to face top-seeded Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the semifinals. Both players said the approach would remain unchanged heading into that match, with Gayatri emphasising patience and staying in the present rather than chasing quick points. The win extended India's recent streak in the women's doubles draw, while the result confirmed at least a bronze for the Indian pair at the 2026 Worlds.
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