BWF World Championships: Satwiksairaj-Chirag script history with a bronze-medal finish
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty settled for bronze in the men's doubles semi-finals at the BWF World Championships on Saturday. The seventh-seeded pair lost to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 22-20, 18-21, 16-21 to conclude their run in the tourney. Nonetheless, they are now the first ever Indian men's doubles pair to pocket a medal in BWF World Championships. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Satwiksairaj-Chirag gained an 11-6 lead by the break in the first game. Chia-Wooi Yik staged a comeback to level the scores 20-20 but fell short. It was a neck-and-neck affair in the second game, but the Malaysians garnered four-successive points to take a 16-11 lead and eventually prevailed. India started well with an 8-6 lead but failed to stay put at the final stages.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag's run to the World Championship semi-final
The ace Indian pair made light work of Gautemala's Anibal Marroquin and Jonathan Solis in the second round (21-8, 21-10). They bested the Danish duo of Lasse Molhede and Jeppe Bay 21-12, 21-10. The duo overcame reigning champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 24-22, 15-21, 21-14 in the quarter-finals. However, they failed to get past Chia and Wooi Yik.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag have 18 wins in 2022
The Indian duo holds an 18-7 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. They exited in the quarter-finals at the Korea Open and Asia Championships.
A look at Satwiksairaj-Chirag's career accolades
The duo of Satwiksairaj-Chirag enjoy 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 the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 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 2022 India Open. They have concluded as the runner-up on two occasions (2018 Syed Modi International and 2019 French Open). They also hold six titles in BWF International Challenge/Series.
