BWF World Championships 2026: Satwik–Chirag and Treesa–Gayatri advance to quarters; PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty eliminated
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand overcame seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-12, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 to reach the quarter-finals at the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Thursday; PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty were both knocked out.
The victory by Treesa and Gayatri made them the first Indian women’s doubles combination to advance to the world championships last eight in 11 years, a run that kept India’s medal streak that began in 2011 alive, while Satwik and Chirag — described as two-time bronze medallists in the report — also progressed. World No. 39 Treesa and Gayatri had previously broken into the world top-10 before injuries, and no Indian women’s doubles pair had reached the quarters since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2015 in Jakarta.
Treesa and Gayatri dictated play from the outset, with Treesa frequently charging the net despite being predominantly a back-court player, and the Indians used quick drops and crosscourt smashes to control rallies. They opened the first game 13-9 before Iwanaga and Nakanishi ran off seven straight points; Treesa and Gayatri then responded with an eight-point sequence to take the opener and closed the match in 44 minutes. “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,” Gayatri said.
Satwik and Chirag lost the first game despite saving two game points, then recovered to win the second after fighting back from 16-18, and in the decider overturned a 12-15 deficit to level at 17-17 before taking the next four points to seal the match 21-23, 21-19, 21-17.
PV Sindhu was beaten by third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China 21-11, 15-21, 21-17 in an 88-minute contest in which Wang twice stayed down on the court with cramps during the deciding game. Sindhu rallied in the second by winning six straight points from 15-15 to force a decider, led 8-4 and later 13-10 in the third before Wang won five consecutive points to move ahead; the match featured several long exchanges, including a 54-shot rally at 17-18, with Wang finishing the contest with a crosscourt smash. “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.
Ayush Shetty’s run ended with a 21-19, 21-11 defeat to Alwi Farhan of Indonesia.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will meet China’s fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shi Xian for a place in the semi-finals, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are scheduled to face Chinese third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the last eight.