Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand capped off a remarkable World Championships campaign by securing a historic bronze medal, despite falling short in a hard-fought three-set semifinal against China's top-ranked defending champions, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lose semifinal, but win bronze for India
The unseeded Indian duo shocked the world No. 1 pair early on by snatching the opening game. However, the Chinese powerhouses rallied back to take control, eventually overpowering Treesa and Gayatri 18-21, 21-13, 21-8 in a grueling 71-minute battle.
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Despite the semifinal exit, the bronze marks a monumental achievement for Indian badminton, ending a 15-year drought in the women's doubles event at the tournament, the nation's first podium finish in the category since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa's bronze in London back in 2011.
Defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning have the last laugh
Treesa and Gayatri showcased remarkable grit in the opening game, surging ahead 7-2 before absorbing a punishing 10-point run from Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning. Refusing to yield, the Indians leveled the game at 12-12 and made a stunning late charge from 16-18 down, snatching five consecutive points to lock up the set. However, after going neck-and-neck to 12-12 in the second, the Chinese juggernauts asserted their dominance, conceding just a single point the rest of the way to force a decider that they controlled comfortably from start to finish. The result further extended the top seeds' head-to-head mastery over the Indians, stretching their record to 7 victories in 8 encounters.
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This World Championships bronze serves as a monumental career resurgence for the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalists. After touching a career-best world ranking of No. 9 early last year, their trajectory was derailed by a series of physical setbacks. A wave of injuries earlier this season kept them sidelined during the Badminton Asia Championships and the Uber Cup, with Gayatri patiently awaiting Treesa’s full rehabilitation before making their joint return to the international circuit.
Their breakthrough in New Delhi brings India's overall World Championships tally to 16 medals, comprising one gold, four silvers, and 11 bronzes. With their confidence fully restored on the world stage, Treesa and Gayatri will now shift their focus to the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where they are set to anchor India’s badminton contingent.