It looked like Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly were slowly but surely working their way back towards the form that had vaulted them into the top 10 of the world rankings. The highly rated women’s doubles pair outclassed 16th seeds Allison Lee and Lauren Lam of America in a solid second-round outing at the BWF World Championships 2026 in Delhi on Tuesday.
But it was not the win that dominated the post-match interviews. It was their Arjuna Award, the second-highest sporting honour in the country, announced earlier in the day, that took centre stage. An Arjuna Award had returned to the Gopichand household after 27 years. For Treesa, it was her father’s dream, finally coming true.
“It feels amazing. Super grateful. I just feel very proud. Gopi sir congratulated me, I have not spoken in detail with him,” Gayatri said, responding to questions about the award which preceded ones about their near-perfect game against Lee and Lam.
BWF World Championships Highlights
The National Sports Award jury faced an unprecedented delay even as the selection committee recommended names at the start of the year. The Sports Ministry reportedly wanted a revaluation to “preserve the integrity of the awards”.
And the Arjuna Award finally arrived for Gayatri and Treesa.
It was a double delight as the young pair appeared to have found their rhythm, following up their first-round win with another comfortable victory against a seeded American pair.
The Indian combination was brilliant overall, with Gayatri controlling the net with aplomb and Treesa mixing her soft drops with those booming smashes to keep the Americans on their toes. After the initial exchanges, the home favourites opened up a 6-2 lead by bagging four straight points and then maintained the advantage to wrap up the first game.
Playing from the better side in the second game, Treesa and Gayatri clinched seven straight points from 5-4 to take a 12-4 lead. Though the Americans showed some moments of brilliance, they could never really make a comeback in the match.
For the last few years, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly had flown somewhat under the radar. They had made it to the All England Open semi-finals in back-to-back years, won a Commonwealth Games medal in 2022 and broke into the top 10 at the start of last year. Consistent results followed and, just when they were looking to peak in 2026, an injury in training which initially looked harmless turned out to be two ligament tears and two muscle tears for Treesa.
It put her out of action for three months.
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Gayatri had to wait, an agonising wait. Their ranking fell to nearly 60 from 20 as they missed the Asian Badminton Championships and the Uber Cup.
It was a concerning period away from the game, with the World Championships and the Asian Games looming in a packed second half of the year.
But Treesa recovered in time and the duo began rebuilding their confidence, winning the Philippine International Challenge just before the World Championships at home.
They began their campaign in Delhi by dispatching lower-ranked Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13 in just 33 minutes on Monday. They faced a sterner test against Lam and Lee, seeded unlike them, with the American duo coming into the world meet in good form.
But Gayatri and Treesa showed glimpses of their vintage form, producing a complete game against the American duo and beating them 21-15, 21-12 to progress to the pre-quarter-finals.
COACH SEES A MEDAL
Speaking to the Badminton Association of India in a YouTube live on Tuesday, coach Arun Vishnu, who oversaw the early years of the Gayatri-Treesa partnership, backed the duo to win a medal in Delhi and later at the Asian Games if they are able to maintain this form.
They will meet seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan in the next round, and the stiff challenge is manageable, feels Arun.
“I met them and congratulated them for winning the Arjuna Award. They were in total control both in yesterday’s match and today’s match. Their opponents were decent. The USA pair had good wins decently. From starting to end, Gayatri and Treesa had total control. If they keep this momentum, they can win a medal at these World Championships,” he said.
“Absolutely. Today, they were showing that quality on court. They can win against the Japanese pair, whom they will take on next,”
“They were not able to play last year because of injuries. If they stay fit, they can do well, even in the Asian Games.”
EVOLVING ROTATION GAME
While their gameplay was close to perfect, there was an improvement in their rotations to add an element of unpredictability, as noticed by pundits on Tuesday. Gayatri, who tends to stay at the front of the court, is more than willing to stay back, while Treesa has added variety, especially with her deceptive drops from the back of the court.
“Sometimes when Gayatri is behind, we are in little more control of things. Treesa goes full title from behind. Gayatri offers more control. So, when we need control, it’s good to have Gayatri behind,” Arun said.
Their opponents Lee and Lam agreed.
“Treesa is sold in the back. Gayatri is solid in the front. We kind of knew that to begin with. We knew that was their strong point, and we tried to do our best and overcome what they are used to. The same with us, we are pretty similar. Today, they played a little bit smarter than us,” they said.
The Arjuna Award may have taken six months longer than expected, but for Gayatri and Treesa, the timing could hardly have been better. Recognition finally arrived on the same day their game began to look like the version that once carried them into the world’s top 10. After months of waiting, injury setbacks and a long climb back, the reward was not just a medal hanging around their necks — it was the feeling that they were finally moving forward again, at the biggest tournament on home soil.
The Arjuna Award has given them a moment to savour. The bigger prize, however, is still up for grabs. Against Iwanaga and Nakanishi, Gayatri and Treesa will get their first real test of whether the form they have been searching for can carry them deep into a World Championships on home soil.
– Ends
