India's dazzling badminton duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched a historic victory against Malaysian pair to storm into the final of men's doubles event in the Asian Games 2023 on Friday, October 6. Satwik-Chirag became the first Indian men's doubles pair to make Asian Games final.
The Indian duo triumphed over Aaron Chia and Soh WY of Malaysia with a 21-17, 21-12 scoreline in a semifinal clash that went for just 45 minutes.
With medal already assured Satwik-Chirag will be gunning for gold as they will lock horns with South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Choi Solgyu in the grand finale on Saturday.
The Malaysian team initially provided a strong resistance, with the first set dragging on for 24 minutes. However, as the match progressed into the second set, they struggled to keep up with the fiery pace set by the Indians. Rankireddy and Shetty, ranked third globally, secured the second set with a decisive 21-12 score in just 23 minutes.
Earlier on Thursday, Satwiksairaj and Chirag became second Indian men’s doubles team to clinch a medal since Leroy D’sa and Pradeep Gandhe's bronze in 1982.
Earlier during the day's play, renowned shuttler HS Prannoy faced a challenging adversary in China’s Li Shifeng. Prannoy could not secure a win and had to content himself with a bronze medal. The match kicked off with a close contest, with Prannoy leading 11-10 in the first game. But Shifeng quickly shifted gears, overpowering the Indian shuttler with scores of 21-16 and 21-9 in a game that spanned a little over 45 minutes.
Shifeng's agility and precise shots left little room for Prannoy to dominate. A couple of mistimed smashes early in the second game set Prannoy back. Even fortunate net cords didn’t sway the match in his favor. Displaying sheer class, Shifeng skillfully ended another extended rally with a subtle net shot, consolidating his dominance.
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