Paris Olympics, badminton: India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag lose in quarter-finals
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty missed the badminton men's doubles semi-finals berth after losing to the Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. The Indian pair lost the quarter-finals in three games at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, the Malaysian pair won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Satwiksairaj and Chirag earlier beat Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
Here's how the match panned out
Both pairs were neck-to-neck early on. However, Satwiksairaj and Chirag gained a slender 10-9 lead. The Indians were 16-11 ahead in the second half before winning 21-13. Although the battle remained evenly poised, Sat-Chi marched forward with their smashes. Chia and Wooi Yik won the second game 21-14. India stumbled in the final game despite leading 13-11. Malaysia won after claiming four match points.
Journey of Satwiksairaj and Chirag at Paris Games
Satwiksairaj and Chirag overcame France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in their opening round. The Indian duo sealed the first match (21-17, 21-14). Their second match was abandoned as Germany's Lamsfuss withdrew due to a knee injury. Therefore, all match results of Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamfuss were deleted. A must-win clash against Alfian and Rian Ardianto then propelled India to the quarter-finals.
Satwiksairaj, Chirag were among India's medal hopefuls
Satwiksairaj and Chirag were among India's medal hopefuls (badminton men's doubles) at the ongoing Paris Games. Together, they won the French Open and Thailand Open earlier this year. The Indian duo won both the finals in straight games. They were also the runners-up at the Malaysian Open and the India Open. However, unforced errors cost India the Paris Games semis berth.
