BWF World Championships: How Treesa-Gayatri Turned Pressure Into Freedom, Coach Sumeeth Reddy Explains Historic Medal

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand carried much of India's medal hopes at the BWF World Championships 2026 after a series of setbacks, and coach B Sumeeth Reddy believes their historic quarterfinal comeback was built on one crucial change - once they got a lead, they stopped thinking about the result and played with freedom.

The unseeded Indians recovered from a game down to stun fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday (August 21), assuring India of its only medal at the championships. They became only the second Indian women's doubles pair after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa to win a World Championships medal.

From 0-6 down to finding their rhythm

Treesa and Gayatri began 0-6 down, but Sumeeth was impressed by their ability to quickly reset.

"The good thing was that the girls were very calm. They digested it quickly that you cannot change the 6-0 rather than thinking too much about that. It's better to just focus on what needs to be done now," he said.

The coach felt consistency, rather than their overall level, was missing in the opening game.

"They were playing really well. But I think the consistency was somewhat missing," Sumeeth said, adding that they would repeatedly close the gap before making an error or conceding a good Chinese stroke.

He believed even a small lead could have changed the contest.

"A couple of points lead for our girls would have changed the whole scenario. It was the whole thing we were thinking about since the start of the match. And once that happened, they were just on their flow and the points rolled."

Balancing aggression and composure

Treesa and Gayatri have contrasting personalities - Treesa is naturally aggressive and expressive, while Gayatri is calmer and more measured.

"We have two different players here. Treesa being the person who is always charging at the opponents and Gayatri being the calm one," Sumeeth said.

The coaching challenge is therefore to fine-tune both players rather than make them conform to one style.

"Encouraging Treesa to just calm a little bit when she's becoming too aggressive or smashing too often. At the same time, encouraging Gaya to be a little more aggressive," he explained.

"There needs to be a fine tune between overdoing and underdoing it."

Rotation has transformed their game

The pair's improved rotation has been another major factor in their rise.

"Since the last 30-40 days, the rotation has got better. Gayatri has been rotating a lot more," Sumeeth said.

The conventional pattern of Gayatri at the front and Treesa at the back has become less rigid.

"Both of them shared their load equally," he said.

Sumeeth stressed that rotation has to come at the right moment rather than being forced.

"If the lift is really baseline, I think rotating will be a little more tougher. You need to wait for the opponent to play a mid-court stroke, and then that's when the rotation would happen."

The tactical change has also allowed Gayatri to attack more from the rear court while Treesa has become increasingly effective at the net.

"There's a huge, huge difference in their net game," Sumeeth said. "Treesa was excellent at the net and Gaya was excellent at the back. I think that was worked upon and I think you can see the output."

A medal with personal significance

For Gayatri, the achievement carries an additional significance because of the expectations surrounding her as Pullela Gopichand's daughter.

"Both of them have their own baggages," Sumeeth said. "Starting with Gaya being obviously Gopi sir's daughter. It's a big baggage."

He believes the medal can help her establish her own identity.

"With this, she would be relieved that she is also a World Championship medallist. I think that would be a huge medal in her career."

Treesa, meanwhile, has always wanted to prove herself at the highest level.

"She wanted to do something big, prove her point that she's not playing tournaments just to compete. She always wanted to be the star of Indian badminton," Sumeeth said.

Turning injury into preparation

Treesa's injury at the Asian Championships forced the pair to miss major competition, but the coaching team used the time to work on strokes, confidence and fitness.

"From day one, rather than thinking about why it happened, they were focusing on what needs to be done," Sumeeth said.

He and Pullela Gopichand subsequently chose the Philippine International Challenge as a confidence-building tournament.

"After so long, I and Gopi sir had discussions that it would be advisable to play an easier tournament so that they get to play more matches and gain some more confidence."

Looking back, Sumeeth believes the setback may ultimately have helped.

"Whatever has happened, has happened for good. Because rather than the Asian Championship, World Championship is a bigger event."

More than a medal for Indian doubles

Sumeeth also believes Treesa-Gayatri's success should encourage more Indian players to choose doubles.

"Doubles is not a secondary event. We are earning well. Doubles players are famous enough. So I don't see a reason why people don't take doubles as their main event."

Treesa and Gayatri have now ended a 15-year wait for an Indian women's doubles medal at the World Championships and kept India's streak of winning at least one medal at every edition since 2011 alive.

For Sumeeth, the transformation is clear: the pair did not eliminate the pressure. They learned to play through it - and once freedom replaced fear, the medal followed.