- By Sunny Daud
- Sat, 22 Aug 2026 07:27 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s World Championships campaign ended with a semifinal defeat on Saturday, but the Indian pair still walked away with a maiden bronze medal.
The unseeded Indians lost 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 to world No. 1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in a match that lasted 71 minutes.
The result ended India’s long wait for a women’s doubles medal at the World Championships. The last Indian pair to win one was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who took bronze in London in 2011.
Indians Make the Better Start
Treesa and Gayatri had won only one of their previous seven matches against Liu and Tan. Yet, they showed no signs of being overawed early on.
The Indians raced to a 7-2 lead before the Chinese pair began to settle down. Liu and Tan picked up six points in a row and turned the game in their favour.
Their angled returns caused problems for India, while a number of Indian shots ended up in the net. China reached the interval 11-7 ahead.
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The Indians came back strongly after the break. A 31-shot rally helped them draw level at 12-12, and Treesa followed it with a fine cross-court winner to put India in front.
The lead changed hands several times after that. At 18-18, Treesa produced another excellent winner to make it 19-18. A net error from Tan gave India two game points, and they took the first one when the Chinese sent a shot long. India had won the opening game 21-18.
China Turns the Match Around
Liu and Tan started the second game with a 3-0 lead, but India did not allow them to get away easily.
Treesa and Gayatri kept finding ways to stay in the contest and eventually levelled the score at 10-10. Gayatri's attacking play from the back court also put the Chinese defence under pressure.
China, though, began to pull away again.
A few errors from the Indians helped Liu and Tan move from 14-12 to 17-12. They kept their advantage and won the game 21-13. That meant the semifinal would be decided in a third game.
Chinese Pair Pulls Away
The decider started with another long rally, which India won to make it 2-2. From there, the Chinese pair gradually took control. They changed the pace of the rallies and put the Indian defence under increasing pressure.
Liu also targeted Treesa with body returns, making it harder for the Indian pair to launch their attacks.
India continued to fight, but the mistakes started to come more frequently. China went into the interval with an 11-5 lead.
The gap kept growing after the change of ends. Liu and Tan moved to 14-5 and then 17-7, leaving India with a difficult task.
The Chinese pair eventually earned 12 match points and finished the match with a cross-court winner.
A Medal to Remember
The semifinal defeat was a disappointing end to Treesa and Gayatri’s run, but their bronze medal is still a good achievement.
They entered the tournament unseeded and made it all the way to the last four, beating strong opposition along the way. Their medal also ends a 14-year wait for India in the women’s doubles event at the World Championships.
For Treesa and Gayatri, the campaign ends with a medal and plenty of confidence gained from competing against the world’s best.