The world of sports, especially racquet sports is brutally unforgiving, it demands a relentless cycle of match fitness and sublime performances.
The journey of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela in 2024, especially post Paris Olympics was a cinematic tale of a partnership. Just 12 months ago, they conquered the Syed Modi India International Badminton Championship and enjoyed an impressive run at BWF World Tour only to be tested by the most challenging setback an athlete can face: injury.
I was fortunate enough to cover the previous editions of the Syed Modi S300 and witnessed the rise of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela as they broke their title drought, winning their first-ever World Tour S300 at the BBD UP Badminton Academy in Lucknow. Also watching them return to defend Syed Modi 2025 in their comeback trail and establishing Lucknow as their fortress. Announcing their return after a year filled with setbacks and injuries.
The entire campaign by the Indians was brilliantly planned. Being the top seeded pair they went full throttle only when needed. Treesa’s powerful attacks and Gayatri’s front court deception was the perfect code to crack the title even though they switched the roles during long rallies. The crowd turnout was a bit disappointing compared to previous few editions but those present in the finals cheered every smash, drop shot and moment of tactical brilliance from Treesa and Gayatri.
2024 : The Breakout to the Top 10
The year 2024 proved to be a success for the Indian pair defined by Treesa’s thunderous jump smashes and Gayatri’s sharp net play and rock solid defense, the duo developed a tactical blend that rattled the opponents in their own styles which also helped the Indian team to claim the Badminton Asia Team Championship title and they continue showcasing their brilliant efforts on the court reaching quarterfinals consistently. They also had a spirited run at Singapore Open S750 and Macau Open before falling in the semi-final. These performances helped them earn crucial points and saw them qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals.
The latter half of 2024 was their defining breakthrough phase when they clinched the Syed Modi India International. The ultimate validation of the rise of the Indian pair came at the BWF World Tour Finals 2024 in Hangzhou, competing against World’s top eight pairs. While they bowed out in the group stage their performance was far from failure. They almost stunned home favourites Liu S/ Ning Tan and then edged past Malaysia’s World No. 6 Pearly Tan/Thinnah Muralitharan in a thrilling battle.
Those spirited performances helped them reach a career high ranking of World No. 9 in the early months of 2025, becoming the highest ranked Indian women doubles badminton pair in BWF history.
The Comeback Statement and the Road Ahead
Just as their career gained momentum and started moving upwards, garnering the attention of fans towards women’s doubles, the cruelty of professional sport intervened. Treesa dealt with injuries in the early months and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela was forced to take a five month hiatus due to a persistent shoulder injury which broke the rhythm of the pair and they missed multiple S750 and S1000s. That saw the pair slipping in the race to World Tour Finals 2025 and also in rankings, going outside top-10.
Their return to the court in late 2025 was quiet as they bowed out in the opening round of Australia Open. But the doubles pair chose the familiar setting of the Syed Modi India International 2025 to mark their comeback.
Entering as defending champions and top seeded pair, they made a slow start in the opening round but kept the pace in the upcoming rounds winning every match in straight games before a thrilling 3 game marathon battle against Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mai Tanabe in the summit clash. After dropping the first game 17-21, the Indians fought back like champions. Treesa unleashed her attacking masterclass complemented by Gaytri’s sharp gameplay on net; they won the last two games 21-13, 21-15 to retain the crown successfully.
This marked the last tournament for the pair in 2025, the priority will be to manage their intense schedule carefully to ensure peak fitness. They need to capitalise on moments as 2026 offers World Championship on home soil, Asian Games challenge and World Tour progression (S500,S750, S1000). The duo are all set to start their season with the Malaysia Open followed by the India Open.
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