Badminton World Championships: Treesa-Gayatri in semifinals, assured of medal
Indian badminton players Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a spot in the semifinals of the BWF World Championships after defeating their Chinese opponents. This victory guarantees the pair at least a bronze medal.
Why it matters
Marks a significant achievement for Indian women's doubles badminton on the global stage.
India's Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand assured themselves of a medal at the World Championships with a come-from-behind win over China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the women's doubles quarterfinal on Friday (August 21, 2026).
The Indian unseeded pair, which is on a comeback trail after Treesa recovered from an injury, toiled for one hour nine minutes to produce one of the biggest wins of their career, a 16-21 21-15 21-13 triumph to cruise to the last four stage and be assured of at least a bronze medal.
India last claimed a BWF World Championships medal in women's doubles in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze in London.
The Indians came into the match with a 0-3 head-to-head record against their Chinese opponents.
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