Malaysia Open 2024 Day 4 Results: Satwik-Chirag enter semifinals while Ashwini-Tanisha bow out
The fourth day of the Malaysia Open 2024 Super 1000 BWF World Tour tournament witnessed two of India’s finest doubles pairs take to the court in the quarterfinals.
The world no. 2 duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty demolished their Chinese opponents in a mere 35 minutes.
However, in the women’s doubles category, India’s only other remaining shuttlers in the tournament, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, ended their campaign. They went down in a hard-fought match against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
A closer look at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 Day 4 results
In the men’s doubles category, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took on the world no. 32 Chinese pair of Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting.
The first set started with Satwik and Chirag taking a healthy lead by taking the first seven points. They led 11-2 at the interval. Looking in control throughout, the Indian pair closed the set 21-11.
The second set saw the Chinese pair looking a little more stable, but after 3-3, the Asian Games gold medalists Satwik and Chirag started asserting their dominance once again. They unleashed a set of brilliant attacking strokes and showed top-notch anticipation at the net to build a 10-point lead, at 14-4.
They went on to close the game 21-8, not giving Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting a chance to even figure out what happened. The final score of the match was 21-11, 21-8 in favor of the Indian duo. The second-seeded Indians will take on Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae in the semifinal.
Just before Satwik and Chirag’s incredible win, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto stepped onto the court to face the world no. 15 Japanese pair of Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting.
Their women’s doubles match began with Iwanaga and Nakanishi taking an early 4-point lead, leading 5-1. Despite staging a comeback, the Indians trailed by a point or two right up until 14-12, after which the Japanese accelerated forward once again, taking four consecutive points, making it 18-12. They eventually sealed the game 21-15.
The second game saw a better start from Ashwini and Tanisha, with scores almost level at the midgame interval. However, the Japanese pair found their rhythm post-break, conceding only 4 points while scoring 10, securing a 21-13 victory, and ending the match in just under 40 minutes.
This defeat marked the second consecutive loss for Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto against the world no. 15 Japanese pair. They had previously suffered a narrow defeat in the finals of the Syed Modi International Super 300 in Lucknow the previous month.