Paris: Top Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty settled for the bronze medal after going down fighting to China’s 11th seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the men’s doubles semifinals of the World Championships here.
A day after assuring India of a medal, the former world No. 1 duo’s bid to become the first Indian men’s doubles pair to reach the final of a world championships fell short as they lost 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 in a 67-minute semifinal battle on Saturday evening.
This is the pair’s second medal at the Worlds, having won a bronze in 2022.
For Chinese shuttlers, it was a day to forget: Sindhu dismantled one of the season’s most consistent performers, and soon after, Satwik and Chirag—seeded ninth—outclassed Liang and Wang to seal India’s third quarterfinal spot.
Satwik and Chirag possibly played their best badminton all year, tactically outclassing the higher-ranked Chinese pair in the Round of 16. After conceding the opening game in a close fight, Satwik and Chirag raised their intensity to force a decider.
It was the third successive time that these familiar foes played out a three-game match on the tour. Liang and Wang had won their last three encounters, but Satwik and Chirag meant business, not willing to surrender to their familiar foes for the fourth successive time.
The Indian duo, winners of bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, raced to the finish line with six straight points, recovering from 15-17 in the final game. Satwik and Chirag kept it flat, not allowing the Chinese duo any room to hit their smashes in the final stretch of the match.
Defensively solid and raising their attacking game, Satwik and Chirag showed signs of return to peak form after having had a quiet year so far on the tour.
However, Satiwk and Chirag will need to overcome their biggest rivals if they are to medal the worlds for a second time. The Indian duo will take on World No. 2 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. The Malaysians have a 11-3 head-to-head against the Indian duo, often proving to be their biggest hurdles at the biggest of all stages.
