21 August,2026 07:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Pic: PTI)
India's top men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the BWF World Championships following a straight-games defeat to China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Playing in front of their home crowd, the Indian duo lost 18-21, 9-21 as the Chinese pair put on a clinical performance to secure a semifinal spot.
The opening set remained competitive from the off as Satwik and Chirag held an 11-10 lead at the mid-game break and eventually built an 18-16 lead. However, Liang and Wang mounted a late rally, saving five straight points to snatch the set 21-18.
The Chinese duo maintained their charge in the second set, establishing an 11-5 advantage by the interval. With Satwik Rankireddy hampered by an apparent shoulder issue that limited his shot selection, the Indian pair struggled to regain their rhythm and made several errors near the net. Liang and Wang capitalised on these mistakes, pulling away to seal the second set 21-9.
India's women's doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a famous come-from-behind victory over China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals on Friday, storming into the semifinals of the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi and guaranteeing themselves at least a bronze medal.
The Indian duo recovered from a set down to claim a 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 win in a gruelling contest lasting over 70 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Jia and Zhang dominated early, dictating the tempo of the opening game and capitalising on unforced errors from the hosts to take the lead. However, Treesa and Gayatri responded strongly in the second set, tightening their defence and gaining control to build an early lead before taking it 21-15.
Carrying their momentum into the decider, the Indian pair raced to a 10-5 advantage while keeping constant pressure on the Chinese side. They maintained their composure to finish the set 21-13 and cap off a memorable turnaround.
With this triumph, Treesa and Gayatri became only the second Indian women's doubles pair to win a World Championships medal, matching the historic bronze achieved by Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2011
