New Delhi, Aug 21: India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand ended the country’s 15-year wait for a World Championships women’s doubles medal, producing a stunning comeback victory over China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian to storm into the semifinals on Friday.
The unseeded Indian pair overcame a slow start to defeat their Chinese opponents 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 in a 69-minute quarterfinal, assuring themselves of at least a bronze medal at the championships.
The achievement marks India’s first World Championships women’s doubles medal since 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in London.
With strong home support behind them, Treesa and Gayatri gradually turned the contest around after dropping the opening game. The Indians stepped up their attacking play, producing more effective smashes and sharper net exchanges to wrest control from their opponents.
The victory sends the pair into the last four and guarantees them a place on the World Championships podium.
The semifinal berth adds another major achievement to an already impressive international record. Treesa and Gayatri reached the All England Open semifinals in 2022 and 2023, won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and broke into the world’s top 10 early last year.
Their journey to the podium, however, has come after a difficult injury setback. Treesa suffered a serious ankle injury during training ahead of the Asia Badminton Championships and Uber Cup earlier this year after accidentally stepping on Gayatri’s foot.
An MRI revealed two high-grade muscle tears and two ligament tears, forcing Treesa into a lengthy rehabilitation programme and interrupting the pair’s progress on the international circuit.
Treesa and Gayatri began their comeback at the Indonesia Open before competing at the US Open. They then won the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month, providing a confidence boost ahead of the World Championships.
The quarterfinal triumph now represents the biggest milestone in their comeback, with the Indian pair assured of a World Championships medal and a chance to fight for a place in the final.
After losing the opening game, the Indians produced what can be described as a “superb comeback victory”, winning the next two games 21-15 and 21-13 to complete a memorable turnaround.
The result not only ends a long medal drought for India in women’s doubles at the World Championships but also caps a remarkable recovery for the Indian pair following Treesa’s injury setback.
