BWF World Championships 2026: Gayatri-Treesa, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda shine

India's top women's doubles pair, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, continued their impressive run at the BWF World Badminton Championships 2026, stunning 16th seeds Allison Lee and Lauren Lam on the second day of the tournament at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday. In singles, 2021 bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and debutant Unnati Hooda also secured their places in the second round with contrasting victories.

World no. 39 Gayatri and Treesa produced another composed performance to defeat the American combination of Lee and Lam 21-15, 21-12 in 39 minutes and book their place in the pre-quarterfinals. The Indian duo combined their strengths brilliantly throughout the contest. Gayatri dominated proceedings at the net, while Treesa impressed with a combination of delicate drops and powerful smashes that repeatedly troubled the Americans.

After a closely contested opening phase, the home pair pulled away by winning four consecutive points to establish a 6-2 advantage. They maintained control for the remainder of the game and took the opening set. Gayatri and Treesa continued their dominance in the second game. From 5-4, they rattled off seven points in a row to move 12-4 ahead. Although Lee and Lam produced a few impressive rallies, they were unable to mount a serious comeback as the Indians completed a convincing straight-game victory.

Unnati Hooda sets up Michelle Li clash

In the women's singles, Unnati Hooda had to fight hard before overcoming Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16. The Indian found it difficult to adapt to the conditions and was trailing 13-16 in the opening game. She responded strongly when it mattered most, edging the game 22-20 before taking control of the second to seal her progress. Unnati will next face 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada. Li also had to work hard in the opening game before defeating Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-Chian 22-20, 21-12.

Lakshya Sen makes winning comeback

Fourteenth seed Lakshya Sen also advanced, overcoming Austria's Collins Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4. Sen struggled to find his rhythm in the opening game as Filimon, using his height effectively, dictated rallies and relied on his powerful smashes. The Indian was also tentative with his lifts while playing from the more difficult side of the court.

The match changed dramatically in the second game. Once Sen settled into the conditions, he produced a superb spell, winning 11 consecutive points from 10-8 to level the contest. Sen carried that momentum into the decider, racing to an 11-1 lead before closing out the match with controlled aggression. "I was a bit tentative in the first game because I was playing from the difficult side and was struggling to get used to the conditions. But in the second game, I knew that I will be playing from the better side and once I found the range of my shots it was quite easy," said Sen, who will now face Garret Tan of USA in the second round.

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Popov crashes out, Okuhara and Chen Yufei advance

Elsewhere, fifth seed Christo Popov of France suffered a second-round setback after Japan's Kenta Nishimoto defeated him 21-17, 21-19 in the men's singles. Former world champion Nozomi Okuhara produced a comeback victory in the women's singles, recovering from a game down to beat Turkey's Ozge Bayrak 18-21, 21-16, 21-9. Fourth seed Chen Yufei of China also progressed after overcoming a slow start against Hong Kong's Lo Sin Yan Happy. Chen eventually prevailed 18-21, 21-8, 21-11.

Heartbreak for Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh

India's mixed doubles pair Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh endured a heartbreaking exit on their World Championships debut. The Indian combination squandered nine match points across the second and third games before losing a marathon contest to Turkey's Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas 16-21, 30-29, 24-22. Despite the disappointment, Gayatri-Treesa, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda ensured a strong day for the Indian contingent at the home World Championships, with all three advancing to the next stage of their respective events.

Important results:

Men's Singles: 14-Lakshya Sen (IND) bt Collins Filimon (AUT) 16-21, 21-8, 21-4; Kenta Nishimoto (JPN) bt 5-Christo Popov (FRA) 21-17, 21-19; 3-Jonatan Christie (INA) bt Matthias Kicklitz (GER) 21-15, 21-14

Women's Singles: Unnati Hood (IND) bt Thet Htar Thuzar (MYA) 22-20, 21-16; 4-Chen Yufei (CHN) bt Lo Sin Yan Happy (HKG) 18-21, 21-8, 21-11; 11-Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) bt Ozge Bayrak (TUR) 18-21, 21-16, 21-9

Men's Doubles: 4-Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) bt Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (THA) 15-21, 21-11, 21-18

Women's Doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand (IND) bt Lauren Lam/Allison Lee (USA) 21-15, 21-12; Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva (BUL) bt Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi (IND) 21-7, 21-14

Mixed Doubles: Jonathan Lai/Crystal Lai (CAN) bt Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde (IND) 20-22, 21-19, 21-17, Emre Sonmez/Yasemen Bektas (TUR) bt Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh (IND) 16-21, 30-29, 24-22