Treesa and Gayatri's Historic World Championships Run Ends in Semifinal
The dream run of Indian women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand at the BWF World Championships ended on Saturday with a hard-fought semifinal loss to China's top seeds and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning. The Indians, who had stunned several higher-ranked opponents en route to the last four, went down 18-21, 21-13, 21-8 in New Delhi, bringing the home challenge to a close on the penultimate day.
The contest began with the Chinese pair as firm favourites, but the Indians showed no signs of intimidation. Using deft touches at the net and precise cross-court volleys, Treesa and Gayatri raced to a 7-2 lead, blending skill with smart shot selection. However, Liu and Tan responded emphatically, reeling off ten consecutive points to seize control at 12-7. Their impeccable placement and increased tempo put the Indians under pressure, but the duo refused to surrender.
Trailing 16-18, Treesa and Gayatri unleashed a series of jump smashes to level the scores and then edge ahead. A short serve from Liu at a crucial juncture handed the Indians a 19-18 advantage, and they closed out the game 21-18. This was the first game the Chinese pair had dropped in the entire tournament, a testament to the Indians' resilience.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with the scores locked at 12-12 before the Chinese stepped up their aggression. Targeting the Indians' bodies with relentless drives and retrieving seemingly impossible shuttles, Liu and Tan pulled away to take the game 21-13. In the decider, the defending champions were in complete control, racing to a 21-8 victory to seal their place in the final.
Despite the defeat, Treesa and Gayatri leave with a bronze medal – India's first women's doubles medal at the World Championships in over a decade. Their campaign, marked by victories over higher-ranked opponents, has firmly established them as serious contenders on the world stage.
In the other women's doubles semifinal, South Korea's Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee defeated Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min of China 21-17, 21-12 to set up a title clash with the Chinese top seeds.
In women's singles, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi will defend her title against South Korea's An Se-young after both won in straight games. Yamaguchi defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-12, 21-17, while An Se-young overcame China's Wang Zhiyi 24-22, 21-16 in a tougher contest.
Men's singles witnessed a historic moment as Alex Lanier became the first Frenchman to reach a World Championships final. He defeated Canada's Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 and will face Japan's Kodai Naraoka, who overcame Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen 17-21, 21-11, 21-10.
Other semifinal results: In men's doubles, Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik beat South Korea's Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae 21-17, 21-18, while China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang defeated Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Taiwan 21-18, 21-14. In mixed doubles, China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping edged past Indonesia's Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah 20-22, 21-14, 22-20, and France's Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue overcame Jiang Zheng Bang and Wei Ya Xin 19-21, 21-13, 21-11.
