India will hope to ensure they secure a medal and continue their streak of at least one podium in every edition since 2011 during the fifth day of action on Friday (August 21) at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi at the 2026 BWF World Championships after a forgettable day of action on Thursday (August 20) when PV Sindhu’s and Ayush Shetty’s defeats mean they have no more contenders left in the singles arena in either gender.
India’s hopes now remain dependent on doubles, with one pair each in the women’s and men’s doubles, after their last remaining hopes in mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, also crashed out of the competition.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand continued their remarkable run as they reached the quarter-finals. The unseen pair sparked a major upset by defeating seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan in straight sets, 21-16, 21-12. They are the first Indian pair to reach the quarter-finals of the Women’s Doubles after 11 years.
However, the World Number 39 pair now face an even tougher challenge as they face fourth seeds Jia Yifan and Zhang Shixian.
Meanwhile, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are now one win away from becoming the first Indian male shuttlers to win three medals in the competition’s history. The star pair won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Tokyo as well as last year’s competition in Paris.
The fifth seeds played their first game of the event on the fourth day after getting a bye in the first round, like all other seeded pairs in the doubles, while their Round of 32 clash ended without any action after their opponents gave them a walkover. They will also face a Chinese pair as they go head-to-head against third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
It is worth noting that both losing semi-finalist win medals in this competition, which means victories in Friday’s quarter-final will confirm a spot on the podium, but the colour will be decided later.
India Schedule On Day 5
Women’s Doubles QF at 1:50 PM IST (Estimated) On Court 1 – Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand vs Jia Yifan and Zhang Shixian (4).
Men’s Doubles QF at 6:00 PM IST (Estimated) On Court 1 – Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (5) vs Jia Yifan and Zhang Shixian (4)