Paris Olympics 2024 Badminton: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Indonesian pair to finish unbeaten in the group stages
In their last group-stage match at the Paris Olympics 2024, India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, emerged victorious against Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian on Tuesday, July 30. The Indian duo clinched the match in an emphatic manner with identical scores of 21-13, 21-13.
The opening game began with several short but fast-paced rallies ending with some extremely powerful smashes. It was a tightly contested affair early on, with the score tied at 5-5. However, Rankireddy and Shetty managed to break the deadlock and led by two points at 10-8.
They extended their lead to 11-8 at the interval. The Indian duo seemed very calm and composed throughout, and post the mid-game interval, they continued to dominate, leading 14-10, then 17-12, before closing out the game at 21-13.
The second game was equally thrilling, starting with a series of mind-blowing flat exchanges and incredible reflexes from all players. Rankireddy and Shetty, looking incredibly pumped and motivated, played some of their best badminton. They were enjoying the game, and having already qualified for the knockout stages, they seemed to be under no apparent pressure.
Mirroring the proceedings of the first game, the score was once again neck and neck at 5-5 before Chirag Shetty’s exceptional control and net play allowed the Indians to take an 8-6 lead, which they extended to 11-8 at the interval.
Demonstrating unbelievable reflexes, the Indian duo scored five consecutive points to reach 13-8, then led 17-12. The Indian pair eventually wrapped up the game and match at 21-13.
With this win, Rankireddy and Shetty finished at the top of their group. They have already qualified for the knockout stages but will have to wait for the conclusion of all the men’s doubles group-stage matches to find out who they will face in the quarterfinals.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in action at the Paris Olympics 2024 later today
Later today, India’s women's doubles pair, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, will face Australia’s Angela Yu and Setyana Mapasa in their final group-stage match at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite their best efforts, Ponnappa and Crasto were defeated in their first two matches against the fourth-seeded Japanese duo of Shida-Matsuyama and the World No. 8 pair of Kong-Kim from South Korea.