India’s men’s doubles badminton pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have made history by becoming the first Indian doubles team to advance to the quarterfinals at the Olympics.
Their progression was confirmed on Monday after France’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar conceded defeat to Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian in Group C of the Paris Olympics 2024.
The duo, affectionately known as ‘Sat-Chi’, began their Olympic journey with a convincing 21-17, 21-14 victory over France’s Corvee and Labar on Saturday.
Their second Group C match against Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamsfuss was cancelled due to Lamsfuss withdrawing from the competition with a knee injury, as confirmed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
This turn of events has made their final group stage match against Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto on Tuesday crucial for their medal hopes.
The Indonesian pair, former world number ones and currently ranked seventh, pose a significant challenge. However, Satwiksairaj and Chirag hold a slight edge in their head-to-head encounters, having won three out of their five previous meetings, including their most recent clash at the Korean Open 2023 final.
Satwiksairaj and Chirag are considered strong contenders for a medal, given their recent performances and world ranking. Their historic quarterfinal qualification adds to the growing list of Indian achievements at the Paris Olympics and raises hopes for India’s first Olympic medal in badminton doubles.
(Inputs from ANI)