(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Medal contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured a commanding straight-game victory over the Indonesian duo of Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian, topping Group C in the men's doubles badminton competition at the Paris olympics 2024 on Tuesday.
The third-seeded Indian pair triumphed with a score of 21-13, 21-13 in a match that lasted just 38 minutes.
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Satwik and Chirag had already qualified for the quarterfinals on Monday, following the withdrawal of the German duo Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel and a loss suffered by Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar of France against Ardianto and Alfian.
This achievement marks the first time an Indian pair has reached the doubles quarterfinals in the Olympics. They will find out their quarterfinal opponents when the draws are held on Wednesday.
"Really happy with the way we played today. More than topping the group, we wanted to get this win. It will boost our confidence. They (the Indonesian pair) are a top team and we really had tough fights against them earlier. So, we are happy," Chirag said after the match.
The Indonesian pair of Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian secured their quarterfinal spot by finishing second in Group C, while Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar were eliminated after losing both their matches.
The Group C competition involved only three pairs after the German duo of Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel withdrew due to Lamsfuss's injury. The top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the quarterfinals.
Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dominated their match, maintaining the lead throughout, except briefly at the start of the second game.
They led 11-8 at the first interval, but the Indonesians made a short comeback, narrowing the gap to 14-11. A powerful smash from Chirag extended the Indian lead to 15-12. Despite a brief point from Ardianto and Alfian, the Indians quickly secured the first game with a run of four consecutive points from a 17-13 lead.
In the second game, the Indonesians briefly led 1-0, but that was the only time they were ahead. Both sides were closely matched for a period.
Chirag Shetty took advantage of a net rally to deliver a powerful smash, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. The Indonesians fought hard, keeping the score tight at 9-8. However, the balance gradually shifted in favor of the Indians, who dominated the match.
At the second interval, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty led 11-8 and extended their advantage to 12-8. Despite a brief fightback from the Indonesians, the Indian pair surged ahead to an 18-12 lead and then quickly moved to 20-13 before clinching the match.
Satwik noted that this victory would serve as a significant confidence booster, as they managed to defeat a top pair like Ardianto and Alfian.
In the latest BWF world rankings, Ardianto and Alfian are ranked fourth in men's doubles, while the Indian duo is just one spot below in fifth.
"We are currently playing at the highest level and today it was good confidence for us. It was a good match, playing against a top team. We really wanted to get the rhythm," Satwik said.
"We got a break yesterday. In the first game, we could not control. Today we said calm down, we will play our game, we will see. We are really happy the way we played today," he added.
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In the women's doubles at the tournament, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto were defeated by Australia's Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu with scores of 15-21 and 10-21 in their final Group C match. This loss marked the end of their campaign as they finished the group stage without winning any of their three matches.
Earlier, the Indian duo had also lost to the world number four Japanese pair, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, and the South Korean team of Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong.
The top two pairs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
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