Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand produced a stunning comeback against China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian to reach the women’s doubles semifinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Friday.
The Indian pair, ranked 39th in the world and unseeded at the tournament, recovered from losing the opening game to beat their Chinese opponents 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The victory has guaranteed India a medal in the women’s doubles event at the World Championships. It also ends a 15-year wait for an Indian women’s doubles pair to finish on the podium at the prestigious tournament.
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were the last Indian women’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal, claiming bronze in 2011.
Treesa-Gayatri fight back after losing first game
The Indian duo made a difficult start to the quarterfinal, with Jia and Zhang quickly establishing an early advantage. Treesa and Gayatri gradually settled into the contest and attempted to close the gap, but the Chinese pair held their nerve to take the opening game 21-16.
The second game saw a determined response from the Indians. Treesa and Gayatri increased the pace of their attacking play and put greater pressure on their opponents at the net.
After trailing early in the game, the Indian pair turned the momentum in their favour and eventually levelled the contest by taking the second game 21-15.
With a semifinal spot and a guaranteed medal at stake, Treesa and Gayatri carried their momentum into the decider. The Indians quickly established control and moved into a commanding lead. Their aggressive play and disciplined defence kept the Chinese pair under pressure as the game progressed.
Despite a late attempt from Jia and Zhang to fight their way back into the contest, Treesa and Gayatri remained composed and closed out the decider 21-13. The Indian pair celebrated their historic victory as they secured their place in the last four.
India secure first medal of BWF Worlds 2026
The result guarantees India its first medal at the 2026 BWF World Championships so far. PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Unnati Hooda and Ayush Shetty are among the Indian players who have already exited the tournament.
India could add another medal to its tally later on Friday, with fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scheduled to face China’s third-seeded Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the men’s doubles quarterfinal.
For Treesa and Gayatri, however, the achievement marks a major milestone in their careers. They have become only the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal, 15 years after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa achieved the feat.
The Indian duo will now turn their attention towards the semifinals as they look to go beyond a guaranteed medal and continue their title challenge on home soil.
