The unseeded Indian women’s doubles pair became the first Indian duo in the category to win a World Championships medal since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2011.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has praised Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand after the Indian pair secured a historic bronze medal at the 2026 BWF World Championships.
The unseeded duo, ranked 39th in the world, produced an impressive campaign at the tournament before their run ended in the semifinals against top seeds and reigning world champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China.
Despite losing the last-four clash 21-18, 13-21, 8-21, Treesa and Gayatri’s performance ensured they would return home with a World Championships medal.
Taking to X on Sunday, Dhawan celebrated the pair’s remarkable journey. “From being unseeded to beating three seeded pairs and making the World Championships semifinals… what a journey! Take a bow, Treesa & Gayatri!” he wrote.
Historic medal for Treesa and Gayatri
The Indian pair had already created history a day earlier by defeating fourth-seeded Chinese players Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in a gritty quarterfinal encounter.
Their semifinal appearance guaranteed India a medal in women’s doubles at the World Championships for the first time since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in London in 2011.
Treesa and Gayatri’s achievement also extended India’s remarkable streak of winning at least one medal at every edition of the BWF World Championships since 2011.
That run began when Jwala and Ashwini ended India’s 28-year wait for a World Championships medal in 2011. Since then, PV Sindhu has been the standout performer, winning five World Championships medals, including India’s first women’s singles gold in 2019.
A memorable campaign
The 2026 campaign has been particularly significant for Treesa and Gayatri because they entered the tournament as an unseeded pair but overcame three seeded combinations on their way to the semifinals.
Their fighting performances have further strengthened their reputation as one of India’s promising women’s doubles combinations.
Gayatri, the daughter of former Indian badminton player and coach Pullela Gopichand, has also continued to build her own identity on the international stage alongside Treesa.
The duo will now turn their attention to another major assignment — the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which are scheduled to begin next month.
