New Delhi: On the comeback trail, India’s top women’s doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand announced their return to the BWF World Championships in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13 here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on August 17.

After making light work of Lopez and Rodriguez, Gayatri summed up their performance simply: “Perfect game I would say.”

“It was a strong start and the conditions also was pretty good. I think we were on the upper hand this time. It was a game drop the other time but this time I think it was pretty comfortable. And we just enjoyed playing,” she said of their first round win in the mixed zone.

However, Treesa and Gayatri’s season had been anything but smooth. For a pair that reached the All England Open semifinals twice and played a pivotal role in India’s historic Badminton Asia Team Championships title-winning performance in 2024, entering the Delhi Worlds unseeded underlined how far they had slipped from the form that propelled them to a career-high World Ranking of No. 9 in 2025.

Treesa’s ankle injury in April proved a major setback, forcing the pair off the circuit for two months and ruling them out of major events such as the Badminton Asia Championships and Uber Cup in between. With the World Championships and Asian Games being two of the most important events in 2026, the injury stalled their momentum and saw them slip out of the top 20.

“It took almost two and a half months just to come back from an injury and start rehab and build up my strength. It all dropped out,” Treesa said to the media.

Navigating this phase was challenging for Treesa, but she had Gayatri by her side. Gayatri, too, has become familiar with the challenges of injuries, with both players ruled out of the Sudirman Cup last year as they were recovering from shoulder issues. Now, the duo are back on court and looking to thrive again.

“I think we have supported each other pretty well. I just wanted to be fit so that when she comes back. But she didn’t need that. She was pretty strong as ever,” Gayatri said.

Monday’s win in front of a partisan home crowd helped them shake off the rust. Although they won the Philippine International Challenge earlier this month on their comeback – their first title since the Syed Modi India International in November last year – returning to badminton’s biggest event, the Worlds, after missing it last year and doing so in front of a home crowd helped Treesa rediscover the joy of playing before a lively arena.

“Obviously last year we could not play the World Championships. Coming from an injury and playing this tournament on home ground, and hearing the shouting when we entered the court from the start, we are so excited,” said Treesa.

“The last time we played in the same stadium (India Open in January), we played some pretty good matches here. We are looking forward to the next matches,” she added.

Their swift movement, with no visible signs of discomfort, stood out. While Gayatri controlled the back of the court, Treesa commanded the net, with their aggressive movement and sharp attacking intent keeping the Spanish pair under constant pressure.

Awaiting Treesa-Gayatri in the Round of 32 is the 16th-seeded American pairing of Lauren Lam and Allison Quynh Lee. It will be the first meeting between the two pairs.

Asked about the clash, Treesa remarked, “We are going to do our best.”