Badminton Asia Championships: Satwik-Chirag reach final after Olympic champions Lee-Wang retire

India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the final of the Badminton Asia Championships after reigning Olympic Champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei retired in the semi-finals on Saturday.

“1st men’s doubles pair to enter the finals at Badminton Asia Championships Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty for you ladies and gentlemen: @badmintonphoto @himantabiswa| @sanjay091968| @lakhaniarun1 #BAC2023 #IndiaontheRise #Badminton,” tweeted the Badminton Association of India (BAI) Media.

Satwik-Chirag won the first set 21-18 and were trailing 14-13 in the second set when Chi-Lin injured himself while returning a shot. After Chi-Lin and Yang retired, Satwik-Chirag became the first Indian to reach the finals since 1965.

They face the eighth-seeded Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, who defeated fourth seeds Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan 21-6 26-24 in the other semifinal, in the final on Sunday.

Satwik said it was ”unfortunate” that the match ended that way with their opponents conceding it.

”Nevertheless, we won the first game; we played well compared to the last two-three matches. We were there. We were not giving them the chances,” Satwik said.

”Our strategy was on point. Happy to play finals infront of huge crowd like we are playing in India.” On their final opponents on Sunday, Chirag said, ”It’s always a close against the Malaysians. They are defenders and we are attackers. It’s going to a good game.”

This will be India’s first men’s doubles medal at the continental event after 52 years.

Earlier, Satwiksairaj and Chirag had assured a men’s doubles medal at the Badminton Asia Championships after 52 years after outplaying Indonesia’s experienced duo Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals.