(Left to right): Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly produced one of Indian badminton’s biggest moments by assuring themselves of a medal at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on August 21, 2026. Photo: BAI New Delhi: Belief is key to success. But against players with greater experience and the ability to find solutions under pressure, even the strongest belief can waver. That was precisely what Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had to overcome in the women’s doubles quarterfinals against World No. 4 Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian at the BWF World Championships here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. “Until we got the last 21 points, we never felt at ease for a second. Because with those kind of players it's like when you actually win, that time only we will actually process that you actually won. Playing against such a pair, whom we take inspiration from, it is never possible to feel comfortable until the last point,” Treesa said in a candid conversation with the media. In the end, though, the Indian pair produced a defining moment for Indian women’s doubles. Their quarterfinal victory took them into the semifinals and assured them a medal - India’s first in 15 years, since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011. Beating a player whom they have looked up to since they started playing doubles made it a poignant moment. They took time to fathom the moment, breaking down in tears as the enormity of their achievement sank in. “Just processing this one. We are into the semifinals and being on the podium. But it's not finished yet,” Treesa said. Playing a pair they had never beaten and had lost to in all three of their previous meetings, there was no scope for complacency. “We were constantly telling each other it's not over yet, it's not over yet because we had a huge lead in the third set but we just kept telling each other it wasn't over yet,” said Gayatri. Treesa had arrived at the World Championships after recovering from an ankle injury, while the pair’s season had been stop-start. But on the biggest occasion, with the home crowd behind them, they shouldered the expectations and pulled off back-to-back upsets - beating seventh seeded Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the Round of 16 and fourth seeded Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals. Such was their comeback win that it drew admiration from Jia, one of China’s women’s doubles legends, who admitted that the Indians had outplayed them with their strategy and trickeries. “Jolly is fierce and Gayatri is very sharp minded,” Jia, the Olympic gold medallist, told the media after their exit. The Indians have long shown they have what it takes to break into the big league. They had reached two All England Open semifinals and guided India to a historic Badminton Asia Team Championships title. But injuries have repeatedly proved to be their biggest stumbling block. They missed last year's World Championships in Paris and Sudirman Cup, as well as the Badminton Asia Championships and Uber Cup this year, besides several World Tour events. As a result, their ranking also slipped from World No. 9 in 2025 to 39. Now fit again, they are back in beast mode, blowing away the Chinese pair of Jia and Zhang in a game of rallies and net drops. In the opening game, though, playing against the drift, the Indians played catch-up. Jia and Zhang kept the shuttle low, kept the shuttle travelling space short and repeatedly forced the Indians to make errors, playing the shuttle into the net. Treesa and Gayatri struggled to retrieve, particularly at the net, and a slew of errors allowed the Chinese pair to dictate. But Treesa and Gayatri did not lose their composure. With no easy points coming their way, they stayed patient and composed, showing an incredible ability to find ways to win points. “We just wanted our legs to move and just to be calm and patient on the court because that's the most important thing. They are number five on the court. That's the most important thing for us,” Treesa said of their approach to the game.