There was disappointment for India’s mixed doubles pair Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, who let slip nine match points across the second and third games against Turkey’s Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas
Published: August 18, 2026, 10:22 PM IST
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Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly fight it out during the BWF World Championships 2026(Credits: Special arrangement)
India’s women’s doubles pair of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly produced another strong performance to upset 16th seeds Allison Lee and Lauren Lam on the second day of the BWF World Badminton Championships 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The 39th-ranked Indian pair defeated the American combination 21-15, 21-12 in 39 minutes to reach the pre-quarterfinalsGayatri and Treesa controlled the match from the early stages, with Gayatri doing most of the work at the net while Treesa used her drops and powerful smashes to put pressure on their opponents.
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The Indians made a quick start in the opening game, winning four straight points to move 6-2 aheadThey kept their lead through the rest of the game and closed it out without much trouble.
The second game was even more one-sidedAfter leading 5-4, Gayatri and Treesa won seven points in a row to move 12-4 aheadLee and Lam tried to fight back, but the Indian pair kept their composure and finished the match in straight games.
In women’s singles, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda also booked her place in the second round after beating Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16Unnati struggled early on and found herself 13-16 down in the opening game, but she fought back to take it 22-20She then controlled the second game to seal the win.
Unnati will next face 13th seed Michelle Li of CanadaLi also had to work hard in the opening game before beating Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian 22-20, 21-12.
Lakshya Sen, the 14th seed and 2021 world bronze medallist, also progressed after overcoming Austria’s Collins Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4.
Sen was slow to settle into the match and struggled while playing from the more difficult side of the courtFilimon took advantage of his height and used his powerful smashes to win the opening game.
Sen, however, quickly changed the match aroundHe won 11 points in a row from 10-8 in the second game to level the contestHe then took control in the decider, changing ends at 11-1 before finishing the match comfortably.
“I was a bit tentative in the first game because I was playing from the difficult side and was struggling to get used to the conditionsBut in the second game, I knew that I will be playing from the better side and once I found the range of my shots it was quite easy,” Sen said.
He will face USA’s Garret Tan in the second round.
There was disappointment for India’s mixed doubles pair Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, who let slip nine match points across the second and third games against Turkey’s Emre Sonmez and Yasemen BektasThe Turkish pair eventually won a marathon contest 16-21, 30-29, 24-22.
Among the other results, fifth seed Christo Popov of France was knocked out by Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto 21-17, 21-19Former world champion Nozomi Okuhara fought back to beat 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 Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi lost to Bulgaria’s Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva 21-7, 21-14Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also suffered a mixed doubles defeat, losing to Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai 20-22, 21-19, 21-17.
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
