Treesa-Gayatri climb to World No.27 after historic BWF Worlds bronze
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have surged 12 places in the BWF world rankings, climbing from No.39 to World No.27 following their bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. The jump, reflected in the latest rankings update, comes after the pair became the first Indian women's doubles team to win a medal at the Worlds in 14 years.
A Historic Medal for Indian Badminton
Treesa and Gayatri's bronze was India's only medal at the home edition of the BWF World Championships, and it carried enormous historical weight. The duo became the first Indian women's doubles pair to reach the podium since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed bronze back in 2011. With this result, India also extended its streak of winning at least one Worlds medal every year since 2011.
The Road to the Podium
On their way to the semifinals, the Indian pair produced one of the tournament's standout upsets — a come-from-behind quarterfinal victory over fourth-seeded Chinese pair Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian. Trailing by a game, Treesa and Gayatri fought back to win 16-21, 21-15, 21-13. In the semifinals, they led by a game against World No.1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning before losing the next two games, settling for the bronze.
Rankings Leap in Numbers
The pair's tally now stands at 44,192 ranking points, up from 33,692 in the previous week's update — a gain of 10,500 points in a single cycle. The jump underlines how significantly a deep Worlds run can reshape a player's standing on the BWF circuit.
Men's Singles Shake-Up at the Top
The rankings also saw a major reshuffle in men's singles. Indonesia's Jonatan Christie has claimed the World No.1 spot, scaling two places from third following his round-of-16 showing. Former World No.1 Shi Yuqi tumbled five places to No.6 after a first-round defeat to India's Ayush Shetty. Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Anders Antonsen each dropped one place from their previous rankings of No.2 and No.4 respectively.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Christo Popov jumped three spots to reach No.2, while Chou Tien Chen climbed two places to stand at No.4. New world champion Alex Lanier rose three places to No.7. On the Indian front, Lakshya Sen moved up one spot to No.13, and Ayush Shetty climbed two places to reach No.20 — a reward for his upset of Shi Yuqi in the first round.
What This Means Going Forward
A ranking of World No.27 puts Treesa and Gayatri firmly in contention for direct entry into top-tier Super 500, Super 750, and Super 1000 events on the BWF calendar. Sustaining this level will be the next challenge for the young Indian pair, who have now announced themselves as genuine forces on the international circuit.