Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan end Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s run at World Championships

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost to Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan 18-21, 21-13, 21-8 in the women’s doubles semifinal of the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi on Saturday, August 22, 2026, ending the Indians’ upset run. The defeat came on the penultimate day of the tournament and meant the Indian pair’s challenge concluded at the semifinal stage.

Treesa and Gayatri had been described in the tournament as giant-killers after beating higher-ranked opponents en route to the last four, and their semifinal loss nonetheless guaranteed them a medal. Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan entered the match as top seeds, reigning world champions and runners-up at the Paris Olympics two years earlier. The Chinese pair advanced to the final after the three-game contest.

The Indians began the match by relying on skillful, tactical play to build an early 7-2 lead, but Sheng and Tan responded with a 10-point run that put them 12-7 ahead. Treesa and Gayatri altered the tempo with cross-court volleys, soft net drops and later jump smashes, which produced a six-point streak that saw them turn the match back in their favour. The Indians secured the opening game, which was the first game the Chinese pair had dropped in the tournament.

Sheng and Tan’s defence tightened in the remaining games, with the Chinese pair retrieving shots near the floor and increasing aggression while targeting the Indians’ bodies. That shift allowed them to pull away in the second game, which they closed 21-13, before dominating the decider 21-8. The match narrative saw momentum swing several times before the top seeds completed their comeback.

The tournament’s other women’s doubles semifinal was won by Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee, who beat Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min 21-17, 21-12. In mixed doubles semifinals, Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping (Chn) defeated Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah (Ina) 20-22, 21-14, 22-20, while Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (Fra) beat Jiang Zheng Bang and Wei Ya Xin (Chn) 19-21, 21-13, 21-11.

Sheng Shu Liu and Ning Tan will face Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee in the women’s doubles final, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand leave New Delhi with at least a bronze medal after their semifinal exit on August 22, 2026.