Treesa-Gayatri clinch maiden World Championships bronze after fighting semifinal loss

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand's extraordinary run ended with a fighting three-game loss to world No. 1 and defending champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China in the women's doubles semifinals at the World Championships here on Saturday, as the Indian pair signed off with a maiden bronze medal.

The unseeded Indians produced a sensational start to pocket the opening game but could not maintain the pressure against the mighty Chinese pair, going down 21-18, 13-21, 8-21 in an hour and 11 minutes.

India last won a BWF World Championships medal in women's doubles in 2011, when Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed a bronze in London.