India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, center, and Chirag Shetty celebrate after winning their badminton game of the men's doubles quarterfinal against Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the BWF World Championships in Tokyo. (AP | PTI)BWF World Championship 2022, Badminton Highlights: Indian Men’s doubles pair – Satiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty secured India’s 1st medal at the World Championships 2022 after defeating world number 2 – Takuro Hoki & Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the quarterfinals. Satwik-Chirag secured India’s first men’s doubles medal at the World Championships. It was India’s second World Championships medal in doubles with Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claiming the first way back in 2011 in the women’s doubles. Meanwhile, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost to Indonesia’s Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan by 8-21, 14-21. Prannoy fades out losing 19-21, 21-6, 21-18 aginst China’s Zhao.
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Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan trails 20-15 against Jonatan Christie. The Indonesian not known to bottle up, botches with 3 errors looking for his first-ever World's medal. Then Jojo is warned for delaying tactics as he laces down and up. Issued yellow card at 20-18. Chou goes on to draw out two more errors as the super steady Jojo sprays two more wide inexplicably to save 5 match points. Now Chou has lost 5 quarters till date, and at 32 is staring at another disappointment, till he pulls out this one from the hat. The unflappable Jojo literally freezes himself out this medal. Chou who doesn't believe he needs a coach but has a lady trainer who's helped him over the years, in the coaching chair, both break down and can't believe those 7 straight points.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty will face 6th seed Malaysia's Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals of the BWF World Championships 2022 on Saturday in Tokyo.
Prannoy fades out losing 19-21, 21-6, 21-18. That nervy nervy inexplicable brainfade at changeover in the decider cost him the match. He wasn't moving as smooth today, looked almost like he's holding pain at bay, and finally couldn't impose himself on the second half of the decider. Zhao played steady and didn't have the puddle of errors and some regrets to nurse, at the end of 64 mins
Zhao wins the 43-shot longest exchange. But Prannoy's errors - at the net, on the lines came at the worst possible time. Chinese 19-15, though the last wind kicks up now
Long long rally. Zhao blinked. But it's damn fascinating how Prannoy drags opponents inch by inch into errors with slightest change in angles when returns are on the lines. Zhao hits wide. 11-10 for Prannoy. But Zhao has taken the next 3 points quickly.
Just 16 minutes for the second set 21-6 scoreline,as the Chinese forces a third. Remember the Rasmus Gemke match at Thomas Cup? India ll hope this is similar. Though Zhao won't likely have a meltdown like Gemke
Zhao is steady. He's not dangerous. But a horror lift like that and Prannoy knew the smash return would bury him. 15-2 to Zhao Jun Peng. The Chinese is waltzing towards a decider
21-19 ? Phew.
Heart stopping last two points. Prannoy plays it aggressive, on the run and cross to take the opener.
There was a serious wobble there after his back leg slid scarily at the backline, and Zhao sensed an opening and bolted back into contention. Prannoy stemmed that from 19-19. Ace game
Prannoy is 11-7 up against Zhao Jun Peng.
HSP leads China's Zhao Jun Peng 8-6.
Satwik - Chirag secure India's first men's doubles medal at the World Championships. They had the Japanese under the pump through that decider. A fault called on a net-clip didn't faze them at all, as the Indians kept the attacking gusto. Limp shuttle dumped into the net to give India historic first-ever MD double. After losing the team match to Malaysians at CWG, Satwik had stated it will kick them to push for a World's medal. Chirag has been monkish in his focus and quietly menacing in his attack on court. He's done the heavy lifting. They can go the distance here.
History scripted in Tokyo!
Into the decider after that 21-15 second set. A little more aggressive here, India start 4-1
Japanese take the second set mid-game interval lead 11-9. For all their success, Satwik-Chirag have their fair share of botched finishes these last two seasons. They ll want to not concede momentum here.
Hoki is the more combative one here of the two Japanese. But you know that famous line that swirled around a certain other Kobayashi: The biggest trick pulled by a devil is in convincing the world he's no devil at all ??
Moment of mirth there. Kobayashi slapped one awkwardly past the net, and the tall Shetty went hacking at even more awkward angle and fell to the ground. He's been urging Satwik to hot down "neeche maar". But some of those retrieves can twist tangles out, when receiving.
Phew.
Chirag error levels it again at 22-all. But he stays alert to make amends and go one-up with that cross from midcourt. Indians take the opener 24-22.
Satwik error in net. 19-20. Chirag dunks the second steep return down 20-20. Japan take second game point. 20-21
Chirag is buzzing there. Satwik hopped out to fetch new strings, and Chirag parried back two in his orbit, and rounded it off with a flying cross return after Satwik had stepped back in for 19-17.
Indians had a good lead at the interval. But errors have come in a heap, twice hit long and twice into the shuttle. Hoki-Kobayashi level at 14-all from being 11-6 down. 14-15 to Japanese now
Satwik-Chirag vs Hoki Kobayashi next. H2H 1-1, but the two have strangely not played since 2019.
Other Bigger Daddy advice, as applicable to the shredded and pulped Dhruv-Arjun who took too long to shed nerves:
“Pressure? No, you need to enjoy these battles,” Setiawan says, adding swiftly in a whisper, “You don’t actually enjoy it – you are a puddle of water inside, but you show as if you are enjoying,” he adds. “Confidence only comes from winning tournaments – that’s our advice to Indian pairings like Chirag-Satwik,”
Ahsan's angled swipe gets Indonesians a 21-8, 21-14 win against the Indians. Dhruv-Arjun looked quite hapless here, outplayed completely by the Daddies. Like the commentator mentioned, Hendra Setiawan is going for his 5th gold at the World Championships, looking to tie with Lin Dan a full 15 years after he played his first World's. The Beijing Games gold medallist is still going strong. A year back, he tragically lost his fellow 2008 Beijing hero, Markis Kido to a heart attack. Setiawan - Kido had silenced a raucous Beijing crowd defeating the overwhelming home contenders in the final. After Kido retired, Setiawan paired up with Ahsan. They seem to have outlasted younger Indonesian pairs - Minions who struggling a tad this year, and who went out before quarters at Tokyo. Even the All England champs Fikri-Maulana lost early, but the Daddies continue to rake in medals. ?????
Indonesians in command in second set as well. 12-8, and Arjun will need answers for Ahsan returns like that one - the racquet head pointed opposite to where the bird flew. 14-9 now
From a previous interview to Express
Bigger Daddy, Hendra Setiawan, is quite simply the coolest being in this sport. He was captain of the Thomas Cup team that lost the finals to India. He's toyed with Indians here in the opening set. Round the head smash from him to take the opener 21-8. Daddies just know where the partner is positioned. Boe is urging Indians to be light on the feet and react quicker.
These young doubles pairings have been through a lot of flux, in getting partnerships right. In fact, Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun partnered once. The string of foreign coaches - Tan, Flandy and national coach Pullela Gopichand, have had to nurse and cajole sulking teens, often resistant to their partnerships being broken up and creating one right ruckus, before getting the combinations right. This is young men, battling self doubts, peer pressures, staying away from home, needing a lot of convincing before they become pathbreakers and trendsetters and success comes knocking. Building a doubles tradition is hard work ? and the coaches often cop mutterings before the pairings settle down.
India of course has a doubles medal at the World's. But as has been the trend in badminton, the women got there first, in 2011 with Jwala-Ashwini. MD is extremely tough to break through as well. But Indians will push ahead. Interesting nugget: Former coach Flandy Limpele who brought Dhruv and Arjun together, works with Indonesians now. And Tan Kim Her, the Malaysian coach who plotted the Satwik - Chirag combine, put their building blocks together in early days, is with the Japanese team. India has Boe. Mathias Boe. Stirring motivator, never shaken.
There's two Indonesian pairs, one each of English, Japanese, Malaysian and Korean in quarterfinals of Men's Doubles. And two Indians. It's quite a marvellous achievement, but like Genghis Khan famously said - beauty of an action lies in its completion. MD needs a medal to make 2/8 pairs count and for the category to truly take off in India.
Zhao Jun Peng had beaten Prannoy 21-16, 21-15 at Indonesia in June earlier this year. He had however lost out in quarters to Lakshya Sen in the last Worlds edition, denied a medal from matchpoint up, after Sen played three of the most extraordinary points of his career to win 21-15, 15-21, 22-20. Can another Indian deny him a medal yet again when he remains the only Chinese in the draw, with Shi Yuqi ousted by Anthony Ginting. Toughie for Prannoy.
The great Daddies Hendra Setiawan - Mohammad Ahsan of Indonesia, might lead the Indians 4-0 in H2H. But all completed matches have been three-setters.
The thing to note, especially from All England experience, is that winning the opening set is no guarantee of Daddie-decimation. They take their time to warm up, and are dangerous in deciders with their wealth of experience and unflappable minds.
They are actually quite fabulous to watch.
But it's Arjun-Dhruv's job to stay thoroughly unimpressed, and not accord the legends too much respect. Bigger Daddy, Setiawan, needs to be moved around, and the slower shuttle mind just help the Indians. Because on faster courts, Indonesians go slam slam bang bang & wrap it up.
The young Indians have come close to beating Daddies twice in last two years. They ll need the win for the medal
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the BWF World Championships.