Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty: Decoding their achievements in 2023
It was a historic year for India's star doubles pairing Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They won several accolades and scripted history multiple times throughout the year. The pair won three BWF World Tour titles while also clinching the prestigious Asian Games gold medal. Their achievements also saw them earn the summit in the BWF Rankings momentarily. Here we decode their achievements in 2023.
A look at their titles and win/loss record
Rankireddy-Shetty won three BWF World Tour titles - Swiss Open, Indonesian Open, and Korea Open. Besides the gold in Asiad, they also bagged the gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships. Their performances saw them reach the summit of the BWF Rankings. They were also conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in December 2023. Rankireddy-Shetty finished the year with a 40-13 win/loss record.
2023 was a fantastic year for us: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
"[2023 was a] fantastic year for us, whatever we thought we wanted to do, we achieved those goals. When we started 2023, we wanted to win a medal at the Asian Games and be in the top 2 or 3 in the world. So really happy with that," Satwiksairaj told BWF in the mixed after falling short in the China Masters final.
History at the Asian Games!
Rankireddy-Shetty became India's first-ever Asian Games gold medallist in the badminton men's doubles event. Overall, this is India's second Asiad medal in this event as Leroy D'sa and Pradeep Gandhe clinched the bronze medal in 1982. So Rankireddy-Shetty won an Asian Games medal for India in men's doubles after 41 years. Notably, it was also India's first-ever gold medal at the event in badminton.
First Indian doubles pairing to win gold at Asian Championships
The current World No. 5 pairing became the first-ever Indian duo to win the gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships. They defeated Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Eo Yi in the final to clinch the title. Notably, Rankireddy-Shetty was only the second Indian gold medallist at the Badminton Asia Championships, the first in 58 years.
First-ever Super 1000 title for Rankireddy-Shetty
In June this year, Rankireddy-Shetty clinched their first-ever Super 1000 title by winning the Indonesia Open. It was a special win as it was India's maiden gold at the Indonesia Open in men's doubles. It was a very memorable win for the Indian duo as they defeated arch-nemesis Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who had an 8-0 record against them before this match.
Rankireddy-Shetty attained the World Number 1 ranking
Rankireddy-Shetty was the first Indian men's doubles pairing to achieve the World Number 1 ranking. Overall, they are the fourth Indians to achieve this feat. Prakash Padukone (men's singles) was the first-ever Indian shuttler to achieve World Number 1 ranking followed by Saina Nehwal (women's singles), who achieved it in 2015. Kidambi Srikanth was the last Indian to be the World Number 1 (2018).
Two team event medals at Asian competitions
Along with their gold medal in the Badminton Asian Championships, Rankireddy-Shetty also won the bronze medal in the team event at the same competition. The star Indian duo also bagged the silver medal in the Asian Games men's team event when they fell short against a formidable Chinese outfit. However, Rankireddy-Shetty won their final clash against China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
First defeat in a final in 2023
Rankireddy-Shetty didn't have the best ending to a sensational year as they finished as runners-up in the China Masters. The Indians lost the final against the Chinese duo of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang This marked their first defeat in six major finals in 2023.
