India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships 2026 after the 39th-ranked pair went down fighting against world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China in the women’s doubles semifinal on Saturday.
Playing at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, Treesa and Gayatri lost 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 in a hard-fought contest that lasted three games.
The medal ended India’s 15-year wait for a women’s doubles medal at the World Championships. The last Indian women’s doubles pair to achieve the feat was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2011.
Treesa and Gayatri had produced a remarkable run to the semifinals, defeating three seeded pairs on their way to the last four.
India Start Strong Against World No. 1 Pair
The Indian duo began the semifinal aggressively, racing to a 7-2 lead before the Chinese pair fought their way back.
Liu and Tan then produced a 10-point winning streak to move ahead, but Treesa and Gayatri responded with six consecutive points to regain momentum.
With long rallies becoming a feature of the match, the Indians’ solid defence helped them take control late in the opening game. Trailing 16-18, Treesa and Gayatri won five straight points to seal the game 21-18, sending the packed 8,000-strong crowd into loud celebrations.
The Indians continued to match their opponents early in the second game and led 12-11.
However, a 49-shot rally at 12-12 went in favour of the Chinese pair and proved to be a turning point. Liu and Tan subsequently won eight consecutive points to take the second game 21-13 and force a decider.
The Chinese world No. 1 pair then took control of the final game. After another marathon 56-shot rally at 2-2, Liu and Tan used sharp net play and powerful jump smashes to pull away and close out the match 21-8.
Treesa: ‘It Has Been Amazing’
Reflecting on the campaign, Treesa said the pair had gained valuable experience from their run in New Delhi.
“In the second game, second half, I feel like the few mistakes made us a little bit unconfident, a little bit kind of doubtful about the strokes we were playing. Then we went more defensive, and we cannot play defensively against them,” she said.
“But if you see the whole week, it has been amazing. I feel like we have created many upsets and it’s such a great week for us. So many great matches we played and so many things to take away from this tournament,” she added.
The bronze medal also ensured India’s impressive medal streak at the BWF World Championships continues, with the country winning at least one medal at every edition since 2011.
The achievement is particularly notable for Treesa and Gayatri, who had not played many tournaments earlier this year before arriving at the World Championships.
France Make History With Two Finalists
France also enjoyed a historic day in New Delhi, securing two places in the finals.
Fifth-seeded mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue came from behind to defeat second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China 19-21, 21-13, 21-11.
The French duo surged to a 12-0 lead in the deciding game and held their nerve despite a late fightback from the Chinese pair.
Their victory made them the first French mixed doubles pair to reach a World Championships final.
Alex Lanier later joined them in the final after the ninth-seeded Frenchman defeated Canada’s seventh seed Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in an 85-minute men’s singles semifinal.
Meanwhile, defending champion Akane Yamaguchi moved closer to a historic fourth world title after defeating Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-17 in the women’s singles semifinal.
Key Results
Men’s Singles: 9-Alex Lanier (FRA) bt 7-Victor Lai (CAN) 16-21, 21-13, 21-14
Women’s Singles: 2-Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) bt 10-Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA) 21-12, 21-17
Women’s Doubles: 1-Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (CHN) bt Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand (IND) 18-21, 21-13, 21-8; 3-Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (KOR) bt 8-Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min 21-17, 21-12
Mixed Doubles: 1-Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (CHN) bt Amri Syahnawi/Nita Marwah (INA) 20-22, 21-14, 22-20; 5-Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (FRA) bt 2-Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (CHN) 19-21, 21-13, 21-11