New Delhi, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a historic bronze medal at the Badminton World Championships after their memorable campaign ended with a 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 semifinal defeat to defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China in New Delhi on Saturday.
The medal is India’s first women’s doubles World Championships medal in 15 years. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had last won bronze in the event in 2011.
Treesa and Gayatri had entered the tournament without much momentum after injury setbacks, but produced one of the biggest results of the championships by defeating fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals. The victory assured them of a medal and marked the biggest achievement of their careers.
Treesa had been sidelined for three months earlier this year because of an ankle injury. The duo arrived at the championships hoping to become the first Indian women’s doubles pair to reach the World Championships final, but the top-seeded Chinese combination proved too strong in the last two games.
The Indians made an excellent start in front of a roaring home crowd, opening up a 4-1 lead. Liu and Tan, however, quickly recovered and levelled the contest at 7-7 before taking an 11-7 advantage at the interval.
Treesa and Gayatri responded strongly after the break, using their net play and Treesa’s aggressive backcourt game to fight their way back. The Indians levelled the score at 16-16 and then produced a superb late surge to earn game point before closing out the opening game 21-18.
The Chinese pair started the second game strongly, but the Indians gradually fought back and led 11-10 at the interval. A 49-shot rally after the change of ends became a turning point as Liu and Tan regained control. They then reeled off five straight points to move 17-12 ahead before taking the game 21-13.
The deciding game was dominated by the defending champions. After the score was level at 2-2, Liu and Tan moved ahead 6-2 and maintained their advantage throughout. They led 11-5 at the interval and extended the gap to 15-5 after the change of ends.
Treesa and Gayatri continued to fight, but the Chinese pair remained composed and closed out the decider 21-8 to book their place in the final.
Despite the semifinal defeat, the bronze represents a landmark achievement for the Indian duo and adds a significant chapter to India’s women’s doubles history at the World Championships.
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