Olympic medallist PV Sindhu put out a heartfelt post on twitter on Saturday as India’s Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand played against China’s top-seeded pair Tan Ning and Liu Shengshu in the women’s doubles semi-final of the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. In a post on X, the two-time Olympic medallist described the contest as mind-blowingly gripping, looking at India’s 11-10 lead at one stage and praising the players' performance. She pointed to the pair’s resilience after injuries and difficult comebacks, saying it was incredible to see them play with such freedom and confidence. Sindhu urged them to hold their nerve, finish the match in two games and deny the Chinese pair any momentum

“My eyes are firmly on Treesa. What a precocious talent. Gayatri has controlled the front court beautifully, but Treesa from that back court has been absolutely relentless. That cross-court smash in the second game. just oof!” Sindhu wrote.

The Indian duo had already secured a historic bronze by reaching the last four. This is India’s first women’s doubles medal at the World Championships since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze in 2011. Indian badminton won its first women’s doubles Worlds podium finish in 15 years.

PV Sindhu credits coach Sumeeth Reddy as Treesa-Gayatri win memorable bronze

Sindhu also mentioned coach B. Sumeeth Reddy in her tweet. While acknowledging the focus on national coach Pullela Gopichand (Gayatri’s father), she gave full credit to Reddy. “He is a dear friend and one of the most serious, dedicated and research-oriented coaches I know. He carried that commitment as a player, and it has only grown stronger as a coach. I have spoken about his work many times, and today it is showing on the biggest stage. The Chinese pair look extremely well read. Now hold your nerve, girls. Finish it!, “ Sindhu tweeted, following it by the Indian flag and fire emojis.

Treesa and Gayatri who are unseeded and ranked world No. 39 had produced a major upset in the quarter-finals by defeating fourth seeds Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian of China in three games. Their semi-final against the Olympic medallists and defending champions ended in a 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 defeat after 70-plus minutes. They ended up winning a bronze medal and it was a huge achievement. PV Sindhu who is the top ranked Indian Women's badminton player praised the unseeded doubles journey in this Championships.