India, Aug. 21 -- The roar inside the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday was deafening, a release of tension that had been building through what was an enthralling contest.

When Chinese fourth seed Jia Yi Fan sent her final lift sailing wide past the baseline, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand dropped their racquets, tears flowing freely as they etched their names into Indian badminton history.

With a thrilling 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 quarter-final victory over Jia and Zhang Shu Xian, the young Indian duo achieved something that had eluded the nation for 15 years: a World Championships medal in women's doubles.

Not since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa stood on the podium with a bronze in London in 2011 had an Indian women's pair nav...