Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished their BWF World Championships campaign with a maiden bronze medal in the Men's Doubles category after narrowly losing to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals in Tokyo on Friday, August 27.
The Indian pair who are ranked world number 7, flattered to deceive as they squandered an opening game advantage to go down 22-20, 18-21, 16-21 in a pulsating 77-minute clash and bring an end to the
Indian challenge at the prestigious tournament.
It was the sixth successive defeat against the Malaysian pair for Satwik and Chirag, who had lost to the same combination at the mixed team final of the Commonwealth Games earlier in August.
Despite the loss, it was a creditable show by the young Indian pair as it ensured India continued to return with a medal from the World Championships since 2011, the year the country won its first doubles medal with Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa returning with a bronze.
The medal also ensured that India continued their good form in the competition, returning with yet another medal from the World Championships. They have won at least one medal since 2011. It was also the last time India won a medal in the Doubles event, with the women’s pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa clinching a bronze.
