India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand assured themselves of a medal at the World Championships after fighting back to defeat China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 in the women’s doubles quarterfinals here on Friday.
The unseeded Indian pair, returning strongly after Treesa’s injury, battled for one hour and nine minutes to book their place in the semifinals and secure at least a bronze medal.
India last won a World Championships medal in women’s doubles in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed bronze in London.
Comeback Powers Indian Duo
After losing the opening game, Treesa and Gayatri changed the momentum with sharper smashes and more effective net play, taking control of the second game before dominating the decider.
Their run marks another significant achievement for a pair that had reached the All England Open semifinals in 2022 and 2023, won Commonwealth Games bronze in 2022 and broke into the world top 10 early last year.
Treesa’s progress was interrupted this year when she suffered a serious ankle injury during training ahead of the Asia Badminton Championships and Uber Cup.
She accidentally stepped on Gayatri’s foot during practice, with an MRI revealing two high-grade muscle tears and two ligament tears.
After a lengthy rehabilitation, the pair returned at the Indonesia Open before competing at the US Open and winning the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month.
The Indians will now aim to go one step further and secure a place in the World Championships final.
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