World Championships: Satwik-Chirag declare India’s first males’s doubles medal, heartbreak for Prannoy

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Friday grew to become the primary Indian pair to win a medal within the males’s doubles competitors on the World Championships however HS Prannoy’s spectacular run resulted in agony as he went down narrowly within the males’s singles quarterfinals right here.

Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and a historic males’s doubles medal assured for India on the World Championships 🙌🏽pic.twitter.com/IrHRZ7wIpg

— Aditya Chaturvedi (@aditya_c19) August 26, 2022

Satwik and Chirag, the world quantity 7 mixture, which had claimed the Commonwealth Games gold medal earlier this month, surprised the native favourites and defending champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 24-22 15-21 21-14 in an hour and quarter-hour to say its maiden medal on the prestigious event. It is India’s second World Championships medal within the doubles occasion with Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claiming a bronze method again in 2011 within the girls’s doubles.

Overall, it’s India’s thirteenth medal on the showpiece with PV Sindhu profitable 5, together with a gold in 2019, and Saina Nehwal (silver and bronze) claiming two. Kidambi Srikanth (silver), Lakshya Sen (bronze), B Sai Praneeth (bronze) and Prakash Padukone (bronze) have been the opposite medallists.

It might have been double delight for the nation however China’s Zhao Jun Peng had different plans as he broke Indian hearts with a 19-21 21-6 21-18 win over former world quantity 8 Prannoy, who went down on one knee along with his head hanging in disappointment after the gut-wrenching loss.
Earlier, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila’s tremendous run additionally ended after the Indian pair misplaced 8-21 14-21 to three-time champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in one other males’s doubles quarterfinals. Having assured themselves of at the least a bronze, Satwik and Chirag will now face the sixth seeded Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik within the semifinals.

Satwik and Chirag got here out with a variety of intent as they dominated the proceedings early on to determine a lead of 12-5 within the first sport however the Japanese pair reeled off seven factors on the trot to eke out a 16-14 benefit. However, the Indian duo fought tooth and nail to make sure it had the benefit after the opening sport. Takuro and Yugo made a robust comeback within the second sport after breaking off at 9-9 following a decent battle.

Incredible stuff 🙌

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty storm into the semi-final and grow to be the primary 🇮🇳 males’s badminton pair to safe a medal at World Championships 🏸#BWFChampionships | @BAI_Media | @satwiksairaj | @Shettychirag04 pic.twitter.com/CEkQkPxny2

— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) August 26, 2022

With the match hanging in stability, the Indian pair as soon as once more discovered its bearings as the 2 strengthened their defence and mounted an assault to steer 11-5 on the interval. Satwik and Chirag then prolonged the result in 14-8 earlier than they have been known as for a fault for touching the online throughout a return. The duo misplaced the purpose however quickly managed to place that behind, main 16-9.Yugo produced some sensational pictures, together with a robust smash and a cross court docket return, to maintain the Japanese duo’s possibilities alive with three factors.

Two pictures going broad from the Japanese pair put India a few factors away from the win at 19-13.The Indians then grabbed seven match factors with one other excellent return which their opponents failed to barter.

A tad nervous, Satwik faltered on his serve however Yugo despatched the shuttle to the online as Chirag set free a cry in celebration.In the lads’s singles, Prannoy had raised hopes of a medal after he outwitted two-time former champion Kento Momota and compatriot and final 12 months’s bronze medallist Lakshya Sen.But it wasn’t to be because the 30-year-old squandered a gap sport benefit and a slender 11-10 lead within the decider to once more log off on the quarters, following his final eight end in Spain in 2021.Prannoy misplaced 4 fast factors initially however quickly obtained again to a pleasant rhythm, creating angles to trouble his opponent. He grabbed a three-point cushion on the break and saved a agency grip on the rallies to increase his benefit to 19-13 within the opening sport.

A sequence of errors, together with a large smash and three miscued pictures, allowed Zhao to claw again to 19-19. However, the Chinese despatched one to the online and the Indian then produced his trademark forehand return to pocket the sport.

The second sport was a forgettable affair as Prannoy seemed out of kind. The Chinese took a large 11-1 lead on the interval as Prannoy determined to preserve his power. In the decider, Prannoy seemed erratic however managed to maintain himself in rivalry with a slender one-point benefit on the interval. However, errors crept in his sport as Zhao eked out a 15-12 lead earlier than transferring to 18-13.

A 43-shot rally ended with Zhao unleashing a smash because the Chinese quickly grabbed three match factors. Prannoy saved one with a backhand whip, earlier than the Chinese produced one other winner to understand his dream.