Treesa-Gayatri reach World Championships semifinals with a stunning comeback win
India secure their first women’s doubles medal since 2011
The duo overturn a 0-3 head-to-head record against Jia-Zhang
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand produced a remarkable fightback to storm into the semifinals of the BWF World Championships and secure India a long-awaited medal in women’s doubles, overcoming China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in a thrilling quarterfinal on Friday.
The Indian pair, who had lost all three of their previous meetings against Jia and Zhang, recovered from losing the opening game to win 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 and keep their title campaign alive on home soil.
The victory also ended a 15-year wait for India in the women’s doubles category at the World Championships. The country’s last medal came in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in London.
Treesa and Gayatri were under pressure from the very beginning. Jia and Zhang raced to a 6-1 lead, forcing the Indians to play catch-up almost immediately. But the home favourites refused to let the deficit grow.
A six-point burst turned the momentum around as Treesa and Gayatri fought back to 8-9. The Chinese pair, however, managed to steady themselves and went into the interval with a 11-8 advantage.
The Indians continued to stay in the contest after the break. At 13-15, they were still within striking distance, with both pairs engaging in long, high-intensity rallies and fierce exchanges at the net.
Jia and Zhang eventually created some breathing room, moving to 17-14 before closing out the opening game 21-16.
The second game began with another strong start from the Chinese. They quickly established a 5-1 lead and remained ahead at 10-7.
That was when Treesa and Gayatri began to turn the match on its head.
The Indians increased the pace of their attacks and became increasingly aggressive at the net. Their pressure forced the Chinese pair into difficult returns, allowing Treesa and Gayatri to string together points and take a 13-10 lead.
Jia and Zhang refused to go away and reduced the deficit to 15-14, but the Indians responded immediately.
A decisive five-point run took Treesa and Gayatri to 19-14. The Chinese managed to stop the slide briefly, but the Indians had seized control and wrapped up the second game 21-15 to force a decider.
The final game was where the Indian pair truly stamped their authority on the contest.
Treesa and Gayatri came out aggressively and raced to an 11-5 lead. They maintained their intensity after the change of ends, stretching their advantage to 14-7.
Even when small mistakes crept into their game, the Indians did not lose their composure. Treesa found the net with one shot and Gayatri committed a service error, but Jia and Zhang failed to capitalise.
Instead, the Chinese pair began to unravel under the mounting pressure.
Unforced errors at the net handed the initiative firmly to India, while Treesa and Gayatri responded to every successful rally with renewed energy. Their fist pumps and high-fives reflected the growing belief that a major upset was within reach.
The Indians surged to 17-9, with Gayatri particularly effective in the flat exchanges. She repeatedly matched the Chinese pair in fast rallies, refusing to allow them time to settle.
Jia and Zhang sent another shot wide to make it 18-9. India missed a couple of opportunities to finish the contest, but the pair remained composed.
When the Chinese found the net again, Treesa and Gayatri earned nine match points.
Jia and Zhang saved two, briefly delaying the inevitable. But the next Chinese shot sailed wide.
Treesa immediately collapsed onto the court in celebration, while Gayatri stood frozen for a moment before realising that the Indians had completed an extraordinary comeback.
From 0-3 down in the head-to-head record to a World Championships semifinal, Treesa and Gayatri had overturned both history and the scoreboard.
The medal is particularly significant given the pair’s difficult road back to the top. After a gruelling rehabilitation period, they returned to competition at the Indonesia Open before competing at the US Open. They then won the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month.
The duo had previously won Commonwealth Games bronze in 2022 and broke into the world’s top 10 at the start of 2025.
Now, they have added a World Championships medal to their growing list of achievements.
But with the biggest prize still up for grabs, Treesa and Gayatri will not want to stop here. The comeback is complete. The medal is secured. The Indian pair now have a semifinal to win.
