BWF World Championships 2026: Treesa-Gayatri create history; Satwik-Chirag enter quarters, while Sindhu and Ayush bow out

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand produced a dominant performance to script history at the BWF World Championships, becoming the first Indian women's doubles pair in 11 years to reach the quarterfinals. The world no. 39 Indians stunned seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan 21-16, 21-12 to book their place in the last eight. They will next face fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shi Xian of China.

Two-time bronze medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also kept India's medal hopes alive with a hard-fought 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 victory over Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King. The Indian duo will take on third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the quarterfinals. However, it was a disappointing day in the singles events for India. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu's bid for a sixth World Championships medal came to an end after she lost 21-11, 15-21, 21-17 to third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China. Rising Indian star Ayush Shetty was also knocked out, going down 21-19, 21-11 to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan.

The contrasting results meant that Treesa-Gayatri and Satwik-Chirag carried India's hopes of extending its World Championships medal streak, which began in 2011.

Treesa and Gayatri deliver a historic win

Treesa and Gayatri controlled much of their match against the Japanese seventh seeds, combining aggressive attacking play with smart changes of pace. The Indians raced to a 13-9 lead in the opening game before Iwanaga and Nakanishi responded with longer rallies and forced errors from their opponents. The Japanese pair then won seven consecutive points, putting themselves in a strong position.

But Treesa and Gayatri responded brilliantly. They regrouped immediately and produced an eight-point winning streak of their own to take the opening game. The second game was far more one-sided. Riding the momentum from the first, the Indians kept their opponents under pressure with quick drops and crosscourt smashes. They closed out the match in just 44 minutes.

Their victory marks the first time an Indian women's doubles combination has reached the World Championships quarterfinals since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa achieved the feat at the 2015 edition in Jakarta. "Initially, it was neck to neck and our coaches asked us to attack. Attacking game is our strength and we were very calm when we were leading," said Gayatri. Treesa and Gayatri had previously broken into the world top 10 but were forced to deal with injuries that affected their progress. Their latest victory now puts them within two wins of a World Championships medal.

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Satwik-Chirag survive thriller

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were made to work hard by Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King. The Malaysians edged a closely contested opening game despite the Indian pair saving two game points. Satwik and Chirag then showed composure in the second game, fighting back from 16-18 down to force a decider. The final game followed a similar pattern. The Indians trailed 12-15 but levelled the scores at 17-17 before winning the next four points to secure their quarterfinal place. The victory keeps alive the hopes of the two-time bronze medallists, who will now face China's third-seeded pair Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.

Sindhu falls after gruelling battle

Earlier, PV Sindhu fought for 88 minutes against third seed Wang Zhi Yi but ultimately fell short in a dramatic three-game contest.

Sindhu struggled to find her rhythm in the opening game, allowing Wang to take control. The Indian responded strongly in the second, however, winning six consecutive points from 15-15 to force a decider.

Sindhu made the better start to the final game, opening an 8-4 lead. Wang fought back to level at 9-9 before Sindhu again moved ahead 13-10. The Chinese player then capitalised on a series of errors from Sindhu to take the lead after winning five straight points. The intensity increased in the closing stages, with both players involved in several rallies lasting more than 30 shots. One 54-shot exchange at 17-18 left both competitors visibly exhausted. Wang eventually sealed victory with a crosscourt smash.

The defeat ended Sindhu's unbeaten World Championships record against Wang and also brought her hopes of winning a sixth medal at the event to an end. "I should have stayed patient (in the third game). It was going good and I am disappointed with the final result as I should have converted the advantage," Sindhu said after the match.

Ayush Shetty's campaign ends

Ayush Shetty's impressive run also came to an end in the men's singles. After making headlines as a giant-killer earlier in the tournament, the Indian lost 21-19, 21-11 to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. With Sindhu and Ayush eliminated, India's remaining medal hopes now rest heavily on the doubles combinations, with Treesa-Gayatri and Satwik-Chirag both targeting semifinal berths.

Important results:

Men's Singles: 7-Victor Lai (CAN) bt 13-Loh Kean Yew (SGP) 22-20, 21-18; Rasmus Gemke (DEN) bt 3-Jonatan Christie (INA) 11-21, 21-13, 21-18; 11-Alwi Farhan (INA) bt Ayush Shetty (IND) 21-19, 21-11; 10-Kodai Naraoka (JPN) bt 8-Li Shi Feng (CHN) 13-21, 23-21, 21-11

Women's Singles: 1-An Se Young (KOR) bt 16-Mia Blichfeldt (DEN) 21-16, 21-10; 10-Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA) bt 4-Chen Yufei (CHN) 15-21, 25-23, 21-17; 13-Michelle Li (CAN) bt 8-Tomoka Miyazaki (JPN) 17-21, 21-16, 21-18; 2-Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) bt 14-Sim You Jin (KOR) 21-17, 21-10; 15-Line Chirstophersen (DEN) bt 6-Putri Wardani (INA) 21-18, 21-17; 3-Wang Zhi Yi (CHN) bt 9-PV Sindhu (IND) 21-11, 15-21, 21-17

Men's Doubles: 5-Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (IND) bt Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King (MAS) 21-23, 21-19, 21-17; 3-Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (CHN) bt Kim Astrup/Anders Rasmussen (DEN) 22-20, 8-21, 21-19

Women's doubles: Gayatri Gopichand/Treesa Jolly (IND) bt 7-Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (JPN) 21-16, 21-12; 4-Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian bt Hsieh Pei Shan/Hung En-Tzu (TPE) 21-11, 21-18; 13-Febriana Kusuma/Meilysa Puspitasari (INA) bt 5-Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (MAS) 20-22, 21-18, 21-12;

Mixed Doubles: 6-Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (CHN) bt 15-Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto (IND) 21-16, 21-5; 11-Yang Po-Husan/Hu Ling Fang (TPE) bt 3-Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Boje (DEN) 21-13, 9-21, 21-14