New Delhi: Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were competing in the mixed doubles draw of the Karnataka State Senior Championships in Dharwad. The second seeds had just lost their quarter-final in a thriller to Chiranjeevi Reddy and Sai Akshara Sista when the phone rang.They were notified that withdrawals at the Delhi World Championships had opened up a spot for them as reserves. Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, they took the first flight and made the 1,800-kilometre journey north, landing on the eve of the competition.“We were playing the state championships, but this was more important. We are happy to debut, and we couldn’t miss this chance. It’s like a dream come true for us,” said Surya on Tuesday.Pramuthesh agreed.“I think this is what we have dreamt about. I think we never thought we would get entry for this. So, as soon as we got the news, we were just very happy, and we just informed them, and they were also happy for us because we are going for the World Championships,” said the 23-year-old Pramuthesh.
New Delhi: India’s Amrutha Pramuthesh, left, and Ashith Surya compete in the round of 64 mixed doubles badminton match against Turkeye’s Yasemin Bektas, unseen, and Emre S�nmez, unseen, during the BWF World Championships, at Indira Gandhi Arena, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Karma Bhutia)(PTI08_18_2026_000293B)
When they came on court on the second day of the tournament, pitted against Turkey’s Emre Sonmez and Uasemen Bektas, they would not have imagined what was in store for them.
I mean, we are happy that we have played this well, but there are some takeaways we will focus on. Like when we have match points, we have to play safe, just hit inside, just focus on a few easy points, not anything extra or trying to take a quick point.
Amrutha Pramuthesh
In a 73-minute cracker on Court 3, the Turkish team held their nerve to win 16-21, 30-29, 24-22. The Indians held six match points in the second set and one more in the third, but failed to capitalise on the opportunities that came their way.The second set witnessed the first instance of a golden point at the ongoing BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
New Delhi, Aug 18 (ANI): Badminton players Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh in action during mixed doubles at the BWF World Championship 2026, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/Neeraj)
After neither team was able to establish a two-point advantage, the golden point rule came into effect. The rule, introduced in 2006, was brought into use for the first time at the BWF World Championships in 11 years.At the 2015 edition, eventual gold medallist Chen Long beat Viktor Axelsen in the quarter-finals of the competition in Jakarta, Indonesia.“I mean, we are happy that we have played this well, but there are some takeaways we will focus on. Like when we have match points, we have to play safe, just hit inside, just focus on a few easy points, not anything extra or trying to take a quick point. Just those small things,” explained Pramuthesh.