Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand Reach Worlds Quarter-finals

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand moved into the women’s doubles quarter-finals of the World Championships in New Delhi on Thursday, defeating Japan’s seventh-seeded pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in straight games.

The unseeded Indian pair won 21-16, 21-12 in a one-sided contest to stand one victory away from a medal. Their result came against the world No. 7 Japanese combination of Rin and Kie, providing a significant step in their campaign at the championships.

Treesa and Gayatri produced a dominant display across both games, taking the opening game 21-16 before extending their control in the second. The 21-12 finish secured their place in the last eight and kept India’s women’s doubles hopes alive in New Delhi.

Straight-games win sends Indian pair into last eight

The first game was the closer of the two, with Treesa and Gayatri establishing the edge needed to claim it 21-16. They then raised their advantage in the second game, conceding only 12 points as they completed the match without dropping a game.

The victory is especially notable given the seedings and rankings cited ahead of the contest. Rin and Kie entered as the seventh seeds and were ranked world No. 7, while Treesa and Gayatri were unseeded. The Indian duo nevertheless found a way through in decisive fashion.

By reaching the quarter-finals, Treesa and Gayatri are now one step from a World Championships medal. The result also adds another important chapter to a partnership that has already recorded major international milestones in recent seasons.

The pair were awarded the Arjuna Award for 2025. They had previously reached the All England Open semi-finals in consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023, won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and broke into the top 10 at the beginning of last year.

Important progress after Treesa’s return from injury

The New Delhi run follows a difficult period for the pair after Treesa sustained an ankle injury earlier this year while training ahead of the Asia Badminton Championships and Uber Cup. She 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. After rehabilitation, the duo returned to competition at the Indonesia Open and also played at the US Open.

They then won the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month before arriving at the World Championships. Their quarter-final berth now represents another encouraging result on that comeback trail.

For Treesa and Gayatri, the immediate significance is clear: the straight-games win has put them within touching distance of a medal at badminton’s World Championships. Their next task will determine whether the strong recovery and recent run of results can be converted into a place on the podium.