Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 21: India's Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand created history at the BWF World Championships by becoming the first Indian women's doubles pair in 11 years to reach the quarterfinals, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also advanced to the last eight on a mixed day for the hosts at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Thursday.
The world No. 39 Indian pair stunned seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan 21-16, 21-12 in just 44 minutes. They will next face fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shi Xian of China in the quarterfinals.
Treesa and Gayatri were in control from the beginning, opening up a 13-9 lead in the first game. The Japanese pair fought back with seven consecutive points, but the Indians responded strongly by winning the next eight points to take the game.
The second game was more comfortable for the Indian duo as they used quick drops and cross-court smashes to keep their opponents under pressure and seal a convincing victory.
The result ended an 11-year wait for an Indian women's doubles pair to reach the World Championships quarterfinals. The last Indian combination to achieve the feat was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2015.
“Initially, it was neck and neck, and our coaches asked us to attack. Attacking game is our strength, and we were very calm when we were leading,” Gayatri said after the win.
Meanwhile, two-time World Championships bronze medallists Satwik and Chirag survived a tough challenge from Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King to book their place in the quarterfinals.
The Indian fifth seeds lost the opening game 21-23 despite saving two game points, but recovered to win the next two games 21-19, 21-17.
They trailed 16-18 in the second game before fighting back, while the decider also saw the Indians behind at 12-15. Satwik and Chirag then levelled the scores at 17-17 before winning four consecutive points to seal the match.
They will face third seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the last eight.
However, former world champion PV Sindhu's campaign ended in the women's singles after she lost a gruelling 88-minute battle against third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China 21-11, 15-21, 21-17.
Sindhu struggled to settle into the opening game but bounced back strongly in the second, winning six consecutive points from 15-15 to force a decider.
The Indian took an 8-4 lead in the deciding game and later moved ahead 13-10. Wang then produced a strong comeback, winning five straight points to take control. Despite several lengthy rallies, including a 54-shot exchange at 17-18, Wang eventually closed out the contest with a cross-court smash.
“I should have stayed patient in the third game. It was going well, and I am disappointed with the final result as I should have converted the advantage,” Sindhu said.
Sindhu's defeat also ended her unbeaten record against Wang in World Championships encounters and ended her hopes of securing a sixth medal at the tournament.
India's promising young men's singles player Ayush Shetty also bowed out after losing 21-19, 21-11 to 11th seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia.
With Sindhu and Shetty exiting, India's medal hopes in the tournament will now largely rest on the advancing doubles combinations, with Treesa-Gayatri and Satwik-Chirag both set for quarterfinal clashes.