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It was a dream run that had to end at some point. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, giant-killers who accounted for higher-ranked opponents at the badminton World Championships in New Delhi, finally ran out of steam in the semifinals, going down fighting to China’s Sheng Shu Liu & Ning Tan 18-21, 21-13, 21-8 as the Indian challenge ended on the penultimate day on Saturday (August 22, 2026). The match started with the Chinese as firm favourites. However, the match took the players and the fans alike through a roller-coaster of fortunes and emotions. Eventually, the Chinese duo, who are the top seeds, reigning World champions and runners-up at the Paris Olympics two years ago, advanced to the final. The Indians, already assured of a medal, lost, but were not discredited. If anything, the performance only burnished their growing reputation as serious challengers. Starting slow, the Indians relied more on skills and smart play than raw power to race to a 7-2 lead before Sheng and Ning reiterated why they are so feared on the circuit. The Chinese reeled off 10 consecutive points to go 12-7 up, increasing the pace of the game and with some impeccable placement and it looked like it would be yet another straight game win for them before Treesa and Gayatri decided they would not give up so easily. The Indians had played a different game to their previous outings so far, relying more on cross-court volleys and soft drops at the net instead. The match took a turn as the Indians came out all guns blazing and used their jump smashes to pick up six consecutive points and go 13-12 up. The match was even-stevens till Liu dropped her service short at 16-18, and the game ended 16-18 in favour of the Indians. This was also the first game that the Chinese pair had dropped in the tournament. The Chinese defence was impenetrable, the players retrieving shuttles sometimes barely inches from the floor. Coupled with targeting the Indians’ bodies and increased aggression, Sheng and Tan gave no breathing space. The second game, too, stayed close till 12-12 before the Chinese took off eight points to close at 21-13 and then raced away in the decider. Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee beat Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min 21-17, 21-12 in the other semifinal. Meanwhile, Akane Yamaguchi will face An Se-young for her title defence, the two top-ranked players in women’s badminton setting up their 35th encounter on the circuit with straight-game wins in their respective semifinals. While Yamaguchi beat Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-17, Se-young had a relatively tougher fight against Wang Zhiyi before prevailing 24-22, 21-16 to extend her record against the Chinese 21-5. Lanier makes history Alex Lanier became the first Frenchman ever to reach the title clash of the marquee event with a 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 win against Victor Lai of Canada. He will take on Kodai Naraoka after the latter beat Chou Tien Chen 17-21, 21-11, 21-10. The results (semifinals): Men: Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Victor Lai (Can) 16-21, 21-13, 21-14; Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 17-21, 21-11, 21-10. Doubles: Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Kim Won Ho & Seo Seung Jae (Kor) 21-17, 21-18; Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang (Chn) bt Lee Jhe-Huei & Yang Po-Hsuan (Tpe) 21-18, 21-14. Women: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) 21-12, 21-17; An Se-young (Kor) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 24-22, 21-16;. Doubles: Baek Ha Na & Lee So Hee (Kor) bt Li Yi Jing & Luo Xu Min (Chn) 21-17, 21-12; Sheng Shu Liu & Ning Tan (Chn) bt Treesa Jolly & Gayatri Gopichand 18-21, 21-13, 21-8. Mixed doubles: Feng Yan Zhe & Huang Dong Ping (Chn) bt Amri Syahnawi & Nita Violina Marwah (Ina) 20-22, 21-14, 22-20; Thom Gicquel & Delphine Delrue (Fra) bt Jiang Zheng Bang & Wei Ya Xin 19-21, 21-13, 21-11. Published - August 22, 2026 07:58 pm IST