Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to Tokyo bronze medallist Malaysian combination of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles quarter-finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday.
The Indian pair lost to the Malaysia duo 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 in a thrilling 64-minute clash.
The Malaysians, known for their tactical acumen, pinpoint accuracy and high-tempo game were taken aback by the sheer passion and sharp attacking game from Satwik and Chirag. The game turned on its head after the first game as the Malaysians bagged the next two to book their place in the semis.
Paris Olympics 2024 Day 6 – LIVE
The former world number one pair of Satwik and Chirag, who won both their matches to top Group C, were pitted against Chia and Soh after a draw of lot in Paris on Wednesday evening. The Malaysian pair had finished in the second spot in Group A behind China’s world number one Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
Chia and Soh once had an overwhelming 8-0 head-to-head record against Satwik and Chirag but the Indians managed to register three straight-game wins over their fancied rivals in the last three meetings.
A win is likely to put the Indians up against top seeds Liang and Wang, who are set to take on Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in another quarterfinals.
After suffering many a heartbreaks against their opponents, Satwik and Chirag finally defeated Chia and Soh, the 2022 world champions, at the Indonesia Open super 1000 final last year. The Indians followed it up with victories at the 2022 Asian Games individual event and then at the India Open in January this year.
In the second half of the draw, second-seeded Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen of Denmark will take on fourth-seed Koreans Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae, while Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Kedren Kittinupong will square off against Tokyo Games gold winners Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei.
It has always been an intense match between the Indians and Malaysians, and both are chasing their respective country’s maiden badminton gold medal.
India’s Full Schedule at Paris Olympics 2024 For August 1
Later in the day, India’s Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will face off in a men’s singles round of 16 clash as PV Sindhu will take on He Bingiiao of China in the women’s singles Round of 16.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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