New Delhi, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s hopes of continuing its medal run at the BWF World Championships remained alive on Thursday as Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals, while PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty bowed out of the singles competition in New Delhi.
World No. 39 Treesa and Gayatri produced the day’s biggest upset in women’s doubles, defeating seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan 21-16, 21-12 in 44 minutes. Their victory made them the first Indian women’s doubles pair since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2015 to reach the World Championships quarterfinals.
The Indians recovered superbly after surrendering a 13-9 advantage in the opening game, winning eight successive points after the Japanese pair had briefly taken control. They maintained the momentum in the second game with quick drops and cross-court smashes.
“Initially, it was neck and neck, and our coaches asked us to attack. Attacking game is our strength, and we were very calm when we were leading,” Gayatri said.
Treesa and Gayatri will next face fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China.
Later, fifth seeds Satwik and Chirag survived a tense three-game battle against Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King, winning 21-23, 21-19, 21-17. After losing the opening game despite saving two game points, the Indians fought back from 16-18 in the second and then overcame a 12-15 deficit in the decider. They eventually levelled at 17-17 before taking the next four points to seal the match. They will meet third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the quarterfinals.
Sindhu’s bid for a sixth World Championships medal ended after an 88-minute contest against third seed Wang Zhi Yi, who prevailed 21-11, 15-21, 21-17. Sindhu fought back strongly in the second game and led 13-10 in the decider, but Wang regained control with five consecutive points before closing out the match.
“I should have stayed patient in the third game. It was going well, and I am disappointed with the final result as I should have converted the advantage,” Sindhu said.
Ayush Shetty, who had stunned world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi earlier in the tournament, also exited after losing 19-21, 11-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. India’s mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto also lost to China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui 16-21, 5-21.
The quarterfinal berths for Treesa-Gayatri and Satwik-Chirag mean the two doubles pairs are now India’s only remaining medal contenders at the championships.
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