BWF World Championships 2026: Gayatri, Treesa stun in Doubles; Lakshya, Unnati advance

India’s women’s doubles pair Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly produced another impressive performance at the BWF World Championships 2026, defeating 16th seeds Allison Lee and Lauren Lam in straight games on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

Ranked 39th in the world, Gayatri and Treesa dispatched the American combination 21-15, 21-12 in 39 minutes to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals. Gayatri was effective at the net, while Treesa combined well-placed drops with powerful smashes to keep their opponents under constant pressure.

The Indians made a strong start to the opening game, moving 6-2 ahead after four consecutive points. They maintained their advantage throughout the game and took an early lead. In the second game, Gayatri and Treesa shifted gears, winning seven points in a row from 5-4 to establish a commanding 12-4 advantage. Despite a brief fightback from the Americans, the Indian pair remained in control.

In women’s singles, debutant Unnati Hooda overcame a difficult start against Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar. She recovered from a 13-16 deficit in the opening game to win 22-20, 21-16. Hooda will next face 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada, who defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian 22-20, 21-12.

Lakshya Sen, the 14th seed and 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, also progressed after overcoming Austria’s Collins Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4.

Filimon exploited Sen’s early struggles from the difficult side of the court and used his powerful smashes to take the first game. Sen responded emphatically, winning 11 consecutive points from 10-8 in the second game before dominating the decider. He led 11-1 at the interval and completed a comfortable comeback. Sen will meet USA’s Garret Tan in the second round.

Elsewhere, fifth seed Christo Popov suffered an early exit after losing to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto 21-17, 21-19. Former world champion Nozomi Okuhara recovered from a first-game loss to defeat Turkey’s Ozge Bayrak 18-21, 21-16, 21-9, while fourth seed Chen Yufei overcame Hong Kong’s Lo Sin Yan Happy 18-21, 21-8, 21-11.

India’s mixed doubles campaign suffered disappointment as Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were eliminated by Turkey’s Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas. The Indian pair squandered nine match points across the second and third games before losing 16-21, 30-29, 24-22 in a dramatic contest.

BWF World Championships 2026 Day 2 Important Results

Men’s Singles: 14-Lakshya Sen (IND) bt Collins Filimon (AUT) 16-21, 21-8, 21-4; Kenta Nishimoto (JPN) bt 5-Christo Popov (FRA) 21-17, 21-19; 3-Jonatan Christie (INA) bt Matthias Kicklitz (GER) 21-15, 21-14

Women’s Singles: Unnati Hooda (IND) bt Thet Htar Thuzar (MYA) 22-20, 21-16; 4-Chen Yufei (CHN) bt Lo Sin Yan Happy (HKG) 18-21, 21-8, 21-11; 11-Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) bt Ozge Bayrak (TUR) 18-21, 21-16, 21-9

Men’s Doubles: 4-Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) bt Peeratchai Sukphun/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (THA) 15-21, 21-11, 21-18

Women’s Doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand (IND) bt Lauren Lam/Allison Lee (USA) 21-15, 21-12; Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva (BUL) bt Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi (IND) 21-7, 21-14

Mixed Doubles: Jonathan Lai/Crystal Lai (CAN) bt Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde (IND) 20-22, 21-19, 21-17, Emre Sonmez/Yasemen Bektas (TUR) bt Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh (IND) 16-21, 30-29, 24-22