BWF World Championships: Satwiksairaj-Chirag advance into men's doubles quarter-finals
Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have bagged a quarter-final berth in the men's doubles of the BWF World Championships. The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold-winning pair made short work of the world number 32 Danish pair of Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhode (21-12, 21-10) in R16. They will now face defending champions and second-seeded Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Satwiksairaj-Chirag took an early 8-5 lead before the Danish pair crawled back to an 11-10 deficit. The Indians defended well and later managed six-straight points to pocket the first game. The second game wasn't any different as a superb backhand from Chirag helped India take a 4-0 lead. The pair forged a commanding 11-4 lead by the second-game interval to eventually win 21-10.
A look at Satwiksairaj-Chirag's career accolades
The duo of Satwiksairaj and Chirag have a career-high ranking of seven in BWF World Ranking. They are two-time bronze medallists at the Asia Team Championships (2016, 2020). They made peace with silver in men's doubles in 2018, besides winning gold in the mixed team event. Earlier this year, the pair was crowned winner in the men's team event at the Thomas Cup.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag have pocketed three BWF World tour titles
Satwiksairaj and Chirag have won three BWF World Tour titles in men's doubles. They emerged winners at the 2018 Hyderabad Open, 2019 Thailand Open, and the 2022 India Open. They have concluded as the runner-up in two instances (2018 Syed Modi International and 2019 French Open). Besides the aforementioned, they hold six titles in BWF International Challenge/Series.
How have Satiksairaj-Chirag fared in 2022?
The Indian pair enjoy a 17-6 win-loss record on the BWF Tour in 2022, in addition to winning gold at the CWG in men's doubles. They started the year with an enthralling run at the India Open. However, they followed with second-round defeats at the All England Open and the Swiss Open, and quarter-final exits at the Korea Open and Asia Championships.
Win for men's doubles pair of Arjun and Kapil
The Indian duo of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila staged a sensational comeback to outfox Singapore's KH Loh and H Terry 18-21, 21-15, 21-16. Earlier, the pair bested last edition's bronze medallists Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 21-17 21-16 in the second round. They will cross swords with third seeds Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia.
