-Olympics
Asian Games champions Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy progressed to the semi-finals of the China Masters 2023 badminton men’s doubles event while HS Prannoy’s run ended in the quarter-finals in Shenzhen on Friday.
Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, fifth in the badminton rankings, registered a 21-16, 21-14 win against the world No. 13 Indonesian pair of Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in 46 minutes.
The two pairs traded points early in the first game and were level at 9-9. However, the India duo went into the break leading 11-9.
Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin equalised at 14-14 but Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy unleashed a flurry of attacking shots and quick returns to win seven of the next nine points and take the first game.
With the momentum, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy raced to a 5-2 lead in the second game. Though the Indonesian pair kept the Indians busy with extended rallies, Chirag-Satwik increased their lead to seven points at 17-10 and held onto it to make their head-to-head record against the Indonesians 4-0.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will face the People’s Republic of China’s make-shift pair of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu on Saturday for a place in the final of the BWF Super 750 tournament.
Meanwhile, HS Prannoy, India’s top men’s singles player at world No. 8, lost to world No. 5 Kodai Naraoka of Japan 21-9, 21-14 in 43 minutes.
The 31-year-old Indian badminton player was off the mark in the entire contest, hitting several unforced errors in both games against the higher-ranked opponent.
Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth crashed out in the first round on Wednesday. PV Sindhu did not compete.
Featured Image: OnManorama