“A medal opportunity gone” - Fans express disappointment as Satwik-Chirag crash out of Paris Olympics 2024
India’s men's double badminton pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics 2024, going down to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-13, 14-21, 16-21. Fans were naturally disappointed as the Satwik-Chirag duo were considered one of India's biggest medal prospects in Paris.
Fans took to social media to express shock and disappointment as the duo bowed out of the ongoing Summer Games.
“Such a shame, you can't make errors on service and win a knock out match..really disappointed with Satwik & Chirag play today after winning first game should have put the game to bed...too many unforced errors ... A medal opportunity gone by for India,” one fan wrote on the social media platform X.
Many fans questioned the temperament of the Indian shuttlers, with Satwik-Chirag appearing to lose their nerves at some crucial points in the match. One fan wrote:
“Damn! Satwik and Chirag! Come on. Why are we temperamentally so weak. Across sports. “
“Satwik/Chirag choked hard! Could have won in straight games!” another fan wrote.
“SATCHI LOSE. A SHOCKER. The gold medal contenders of this Olympics are out,” one fan posted. “Chirag and Satwik just couldn't arrive at the occasion.”
“Great start gave way to too many errors and free points! Not to be this time for Satwik and Chirag,” one fan complained on X.
One fan blamed the loss on Chirag Shetty, who rushed into some ill-judged shots in the second and third sets of the game. The fan wrote:
“Chirag Shetty gifted the game to Malaysia. Felling sad for Satwik.”
Satwik-Chirag go down fighting in the quarter-finals against Malaysian duo
The Indian badminton duo of Satwik-Chirag, who were previously ranked world No. 1, went into the match as favourites against their Malaysian opponents. Despite Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik ranking third in the world currently, Satwik and Chirag had won their last three matches against them.
After a neck-to-neck start to the match, with the score at 11-10 at the break in the first game, Satwik-Chirag cleared ahead and won the first set 21-13.
The second game was an equally tight affair, with the Malaysians holding a slender lead of 11-10 over Satwik-Chirag at the break. But at the resumption of the game, Chia and Soh showed why they hold an 8-3 head-to-head advantage against Satwiksairaj and Chirag. They demonstrated some quick thinking and pulled away winners 14-21.
The third game was more of the same, where despite a tight affair in the first half, the Malaysian duo eventually comfortably won the game 16-21 to win the quarter-finals. Chia and Soh will now face Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the semi-final clash on Friday.