New Delhi
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand capped an emotional World Championships campaign by securing India’s first women’s doubles medal at the event in 15 years, despite their semifinal defeat to defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China.
The Indian pair’s impressive run ended with an 18-21, 21-13, 21-8 loss in the semifinal. However, their historic bronze medal marked a significant achievement for Indian badminton, ending the long wait since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011.
Gayatri described the campaign as an “amazing journey”, saying the achievement had left her overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding their breakthrough performance.
The pair entered the tournament without significant momentum following injury setbacks. Treesa had missed three months of competition earlier this year after suffering an ankle injury. Their performances at the Philippines Challenge, however, helped restore their confidence.
The Indians defeated pairs from Spain and the USA in the opening rounds before producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. They stunned fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China in the quarterfinals to guarantee themselves a medal.
Gayatri said the duo entered the quarterfinal without expectations and instead focused on executing their game plan. Their confidence grew after defeating several strong opponents.
Against top seeds Liu and Tan, Treesa and Gayatri started strongly and won the opening game 21-18. They fought hard in the second and levelled the score at 10-all before the Chinese pair regained control.
Despite eventually losing the semifinal, the Indian duo’s historic bronze represents a major milestone and provides renewed belief ahead of future international competitions.
Highlights of the match
- India’s first women’s doubles World Championships medal since 2011.
- Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured bronze in the Philippines.
- Indian pair stunned fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian.
- Treesa returned after a three-month injury layoff.
- Defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning ended their run.
- Gayatri called the campaign an “amazing journey.”
