New Delhi, Aug 21:
India’s women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand staged a stunning comeback to defeat China’s Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 in the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships 2026 on Friday.
The victory booked the Indian pair a place in the semi-finals and assured India a medal at the prestigious championships.
Treesa and Gayatri struggled early, falling 0-6 behind in the opening game. They fought back to reduce the deficit to 8-11 but China regained control and closed out the game 21-16.
The Indians responded strongly in the second game, raising their intensity and dominating the rallies to win 21-15 and force a decider.
The final game again saw the Chinese pair make a bright start, but Treesa and Gayatri gradually found their rhythm. Once ahead, the Indians maintained their momentum and sealed the game 21-13 to complete a memorable comeback.
The win marks a major milestone for the Indian duo, who are now one victory away from reaching the World Championships final.
Earlier yesterday, PV Sindhu qas knocked out by an injured Wang Zhi Yi of China in a Round of 16 match at the BWF Badminton World Championships.
The Indian won the second game 21-15 after losing the first game 11-21. However, the third game went to Wang, who clinched it 21-17. India’s Ayush Shetty has been knocked out after a straight-games loss to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the Round of 16.
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty battled past Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King 21-23 21-19 21-17 to enter the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the World Championships on Thursday.