Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Treesa and Gayatri Turn World Championship Pain Into Paycheque
Treesa and Gayatri are two Indian badminton players who play together as a team.
Treesa was badly injured when she accidentally stepped on Gayatri’s foot during practice.
She spent weeks in bed and months learning to walk and play again.
The pair returned to tournaments and improved quickly.
At the World Championships in New Delhi, they defeated a strong Chinese team in the quarterfinals.
This guaranteed them a medal because losing semifinalists still receive bronze.
They later lost the semifinal to China’s top-ranked pair.
Their success has made companies more interested in sponsoring badminton doubles teams.
Advertisers like their story because it combines teamwork, different strengths, and a difficult comeback.
Treesa Jolly suffered two muscle tears and two ligament tears on April 1, 2026, requiring seven weeks in bed and months of rehabilitation.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri returned to competition in June and won the Philippine International Challenge in August.
The unseeded Indian pair defeated China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the World Championship quarterfinals.
Their semifinal loss to defending champions Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning still secured India’s first women’s doubles World Championship medal in 15 years.
Their comeback and contrasting “ice and fire” partnership are attracting sponsorship interest from banks, fintech firms, and technology companies.
- Who
- Indian women’s doubles players Treesa Jolly and Gayatri, coached by Pullela Gopichand and B. Sumeeth Reddy.
- What
- They won a bronze medal at the World Championships after reaching the semifinal, following Treesa’s serious ankle injury and rehabilitation.
- When
- Treesa was injured on April 1, 2026; the pair returned in June, won the Philippine International Challenge in early August, and competed at the World Championships on August 21-22.
- Where
- The injury occurred at an academy in Hyderabad, and the World Championships were held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
- Why
- Their medal-winning comeback increased interest from sponsors seeking stories about resilience, teamwork, and complementary strengths.
- Injury
- Treesa suffered two high-grade muscle tears and two ligament tears after rolling her ankle.
- Recovery
- She spent seven weeks in bed and about two additional months in rehabilitation.
- World Championship ranking
- Treesa and Gayatri were unseeded and ranked world No. 39 during the tournament.
- Quarterfinal result
- They defeated Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China after previously losing all three of their meetings.
- Semifinal result
- They lost 21-13, 13-21, 8-21 to Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning.
- Medal significance
- The bronze was India’s first women’s doubles World Championship medal since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011.
- Sponsorship interest
- Agencies are pitching the pair to banks, fintech firms, and corporate technology companies.