New Delhi: Indian badminton players Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. The Indian pair won the quarterfinal match on Friday. They lost the first game 16-21. Then, they won the second game 21-15. Finally, they won the third game 21-13. The entire match lasted for one hour and nine minutes. The crowd in New Delhi watched the home team secure a significant win. 
This victory advances Jolly and Gopichand to the women's doubles semifinals. The semifinal spot guarantees them at least a bronze medal for the tournament. This medal ends a 15-year wait for India in this specific event. India last won a women's doubles medal at the World Championships in 2011. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won that bronze medal in London.
The Indian pair entered this tournament as unseeded players. The Chinese pair played as the fourth seeds. Before this match, Jolly and Gopichand lost all three of their previous matches against Jia and Zhang. This makes the Friday victory their first win against the Chinese duo.
The victory also creates a new record for Jolly. She is the first Malayali woman to win a medal at the BWF World Championships. Jolly grew up in Kannur, a city in Kerala. The Indian government gave her the Arjuna Award earlier this week to recognize her sporting achievements. H S Prannoy remains the only other Malayali player with a World Championships medal. He took a bronze medal in the men's singles event in 2023.
Jolly and Gopichand share several past achievements as a team. They played in the All England Open semifinals in 2022 and 2023. They secured a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. They also entered the top 10 world rankings at the start of 2025.
The team overcame physical problems recently. Jolly hurt her ankle during training earlier this year. This injury occurred right before the Asia Badminton Championships and the Uber Cup. She finished a medical recovery program to heal her ankle and return to the sport. Following her recovery, the pair played at the Indonesia Open and the US Open. Earlier this month, they won the Philippine International Challenge.
Jolly and Gopichand will play in the semifinals next. They need one more win to reach the World Championships final.
This victory advances Jolly and Gopichand to the women's doubles semifinals. The semifinal spot guarantees them at least a bronze medal for the tournament. This medal ends a 15-year wait for India in this specific event. India last won a women's doubles medal at the World Championships in 2011. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won that bronze medal in London.
The Indian pair entered this tournament as unseeded players. The Chinese pair played as the fourth seeds. Before this match, Jolly and Gopichand lost all three of their previous matches against Jia and Zhang. This makes the Friday victory their first win against the Chinese duo.
The victory also creates a new record for Jolly. She is the first Malayali woman to win a medal at the BWF World Championships. Jolly grew up in Kannur, a city in Kerala. The Indian government gave her the Arjuna Award earlier this week to recognize her sporting achievements. H S Prannoy remains the only other Malayali player with a World Championships medal. He took a bronze medal in the men's singles event in 2023.
Jolly and Gopichand share several past achievements as a team. They played in the All England Open semifinals in 2022 and 2023. They secured a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. They also entered the top 10 world rankings at the start of 2025.
The team overcame physical problems recently. Jolly hurt her ankle during training earlier this year. This injury occurred right before the Asia Badminton Championships and the Uber Cup. She finished a medical recovery program to heal her ankle and return to the sport. Following her recovery, the pair played at the Indonesia Open and the US Open. Earlier this month, they won the Philippine International Challenge.
Jolly and Gopichand will play in the semifinals next. They need one more win to reach the World Championships final.
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