BWF World Championships 2026: Treesa-Gayatri stun fourth seeds to enter semi-finals, secure medal

They are the first Indian women’s doubles pair since Jwala-Ashwini in 2011 to medal at the Worlds

Young Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand kept alive India’s streak of winning at least one medal at each edition of the BWF World Championships since 2011 as they upset fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China to reach the women’s doubles semi-finals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

Treesa and Gayatri came back from a game down to beat Jia and Zhang 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 in the quarter-finals, becoming only the second Indian women’s doubles combination to win a World Championships medal.

Related: BWF World Championships 2026 Day 5 Highlights

Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were the first Indian combination to achieve this feat when they clinched the bronze in London 15 years ago which kickstarted India’s run of medals.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are BWF World Championships medallists!! 🇮🇳🏅15 years after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa & Gayatri become the only second Indian women's doubles pair to reach the semi-finals of the World Championships and secure a medal.The… pic.twitter.com/8Z7rSZiW5b

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 21, 2026

For that streak to continue, India needed at least one of their doubles pairing to fire on all cylinders and Treesa-Gayatri raised the bar when it mattered against a pairing which had beaten them thrice before in three meetings.

The Indians did not have the best of starts as they trailed 0-6 and 2-8 in the opening game, but they began to assert themselves with an aggressive game plan. They won six straight points to close the gap to 8-9, but the Chinese kept nudging ahead and closed out the game.

The start of the second game also took a similar trajectory as the Chinese pair opened up a 10-7 lead. But Treesa and Gayatri once again stepped up, with both creating openings from the net and then finishing with cross-court smashes.

TREESA-GAYATRI WILL BE ON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PODIUM IN DELHI ⚡⚡⚡Another round, another win against a seeded pair. India's incredible streak of winning a World Championships medal since 2011 stays alive 🇮🇳Moments! 🔊#SmashForIndia #NewDelhi2026 #BWFWorldChampionships pic.twitter.com/zzKeWG0R0F

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) August 21, 2026

With the momentum shifting, the Indians went on an all-attacking game plan and won eight straight points to take 9-4 lead and never looked back from there on. They could not hold back their tears after Jia send her lift wide to assure the home favourites a medal.

“The match was very difficult and hence the emotions. We are still processing the result and really happy that we converted the match.

“We don’t want to stop here, we have come here with a goal and looking forward. The crowd was amazing today and pushed us towards the win,” said Gayatri and Treesa, who also had India’s Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Badminton Association of India President Himanta Biswa Sarma in the stands to cheer them on.

Treesa-Gayatri will take on top seeds Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning in the semi-final on Saturday.

Related: Indian shuttlers who medalled in BWF World Championships

Later in the day, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down 18-21, 9-21 against China’s third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the men’s singles category will have a new world champion after second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand was knocked out by Frenchman Alex Lanier in the quarter-finals.

Kunlavut, who was the only former world champion left in the draw, started strong as he won the opening game against Lanier but could not sustain the momentum and lost 19-21, 21-16, 21-16.

Frenchman Lanier will now face Canada’s Victor Lai, who ended the dream run of Rasmus Gemke of Denmark 21-19, 21-18

Earlier in the day, former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan gave a walkover to Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong in her women’s singles quarter-finals citing a knee injury.

Important results

Men’s Singles

• Victor Lai (CAN) beat Rasmus Gemke (DEN) 21-19, 21-18

• Alex Lanier (FRA) beat Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA) 19-21, 21-16, 21-16

• Kodai Naroaka (JPN) beat Anders Antonsen (DEN) 21-19, 21-15

Women’s Singles

• An Se Young (KOR) beat Han Yue (CHN) 21-19, 21-12

• Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) beat Michelle Li (CAN) 21-17, 21-10

• Wang Zhi Yi (CHN) beat Line Christophersen (DEN) 21-10, 21-7

Men’s Doubles

• Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (CHN) beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (IND) 21-18, 21-9

Women’s Doubles

• Gayatri Gopichand/Treesa Jolly (IND) beat Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian 16-21, 21-15, 21-13

• Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning beat Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam (TPE) 14-17

Who did Treesa-Gayatri defeat to reach the semi-finals of BWF World Championships 2026?

The young Indian women’s doubles pair stunned fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China in three games 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 to move into the semi-finals.

Who defeated Satwik-Chirag in the men’s doubles quarter-finals at BWF World Championships 2026?

Chinese third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang beat Satwik-Chirag in straight games 21-18, 21-9 to move into the semis.

Who will Treesa-Gayatri face in the semi-finals of BWF World Championships 2026?

Treesa-Gayatri will be up against another Chinese pair top seeds Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning for a place in the final.

Why is Treesa-Gayatri’s medal historic for Indian badminton at BWF World Championships?

This is only the second time an Indian women’s doubles pair has medalled in the competition. The first was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2011.

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