India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a World Championships medal after producing a superb comeback victory over China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the women’s doubles quarterfinals on Friday.The unseeded Indian pair fought for 69 minutes before overcoming their Chinese opponents 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 to book their place in the last four. The victory guarantees Treesa and Gayatri at least a bronze medal at the championships.Their achievement is particularly significant for Indian women’s doubles badminton. The country’s last World Championships medal in the event came in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed bronze in London.Backed by strong home support, Treesa and Gayatri recovered from a slow start and gradually took control of the contest. After dropping the opening game, the Indians sharpened their attacking play, finding greater success with their smashes and producing cleaner work around the net.The semifinal appearance marks another major milestone for a pair that has already enjoyed success on the international circuit. Treesa and Gayatri reached the All England Open semifinals in consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. They also won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and broke into the world’s top 10 at the beginning of last year.Their progress was interrupted earlier this year when Treesa suffered a serious ankle injury during training ahead of the Asia Badminton Championships and Uber Cup.The injury occurred when Treesa accidentally stepped on Gayatri’s foot during practice and twisted her ankle. An MRI subsequently revealed two high-grade muscle tears and two ligament tears, forcing her into a lengthy rehabilitation programme.The pair eventually began their comeback at the Indonesia Open before competing at the US Open. They then won the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month, providing further evidence that they were returning to their best.Now, that comeback has reached its biggest moment yet, with Treesa and Gayatri assured of a place on the World Championships podium.
