Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty confirmed their second BWF World Championship medal with an imperious display of fast and furious badminton against nightmare nemeses, second seeds and Paris Olympic conquerors – Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. The Indian 9th seeds won their quarterfinal match 21-12, 21-19 in one of their best career performances to date.
They played a terrific game of controlled aggression, but backed by resolute defence and court coverage, which highlighted just how well they have learned from their mistakes of the past.
Their run to the semis assures Satwik-Chirag of a medal, extending India’s streak at the World Championships going back to 2011. The pair, who struggled with injuries since their Paris Olympics exit – to the same opponents at the same venue last year, will look to do one better than their 2022 bronze medal when they take on Chinese 11th seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi for a place in the final tomorrow evening.
To understand the significance of this, you have to go back to last year at the Olympics (or even last month at the China Open) as the Indians kept getting undone by the Malaysian’s tactical masterclass against their attacking game. They trailed them 11-3 on H2H and could never get past their flat and low gameplan. But this version of Satwik and Chirag learned and levelled up their defence and versatility.
This was best highlighted in one of the early points at 2-2: It was an uncharacteristically long rally of shots which saw lifts from the Malaysians and Indians countering it strong defence from the middle of the court. Chirag ended that rally with a speedy, smart winner. This was a statement of intent from the Indian, he was dialled in and laser focussed on the plan. Indeed, it was Chirag’s incredible ability to take charge of points and make things happen that directed the flow of the match.
The Indians opened up a huge lead very early going up 8-2, with Chirag blazing all through court even as Satwik showed his improvements at the net. He still employed his big smash to perfection and soon they went into the interval with a massive 11-5 lead.
The second half of the game continued to be one-sided, with Sat-Chi’s commanding game forcing the Malaysians into mistakes. There was another fantastic, 49-shot rally, which reveals how different this match was to the normally quick pace of men’s doubles. Their aggression didn’t let up and soon Satwik-Chirag had 9 game points and the first game with an ease few saw coming given both pairs’ track record.
In the second game too, the momentum was with Sat-Chi as they took the initiative and attacked with blistering speed, while keeping their own game watertight. Satwik and Chirag both had moments of losing their footing in wanting to not drop the shuttle at all. They had another huge lead at 9-4 and went into the interval 11-7 ahead.
“Be daring.. take your chances,” coach Sumeeth Reddy was heard saying in the interval and that summed up their approach.
The Indians soon had on foot across the finish line at 17-11 in the second, but that’s when things started getting nervy. This time there were a couple of long rallies as Chia’s fantastic shot-making and the flat strokes were testing the Indians. The Malaysians clawed back from the brink to level the game at 19-19 with gritty returns in longer rallies, some of which had the Indians scrambling and slipping while trying to keep the shuttle in play.
So often in the past, these nerves have thrown Satwik-Chirag off their usual game of controlled aggression. But not now, with another big medal at stake in Paris. Chirag took charge of it all, closed in and killed in close in at the net with Satwik playing the perfect foil, as he had throughout the match.
It was only fitting that it was Chirag then who converted the match point by making Chia mishit – symbolic of how the tide had turned between these two playmakers.
He was shaking with emotion after it all as Satwik had that trademark grin back on his face. Beating archrivals (on H2H) Liang-Wang and Soh-Chia in back-to-back days at the World Championships, incredible. SatChi, after injuries and personal setbacks, are back where they belong. At the very top of elite men’s double badminton.
