Rankireddy-Shetty reach World Championships semis, India clinches medal

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty guaranteed India a medal at the BWF World Championships on Friday, avenging their Paris 2024 Olympic heartbreak by beating Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-12, 21-19 in the quarterfinals at the Adidas Arena in Paris. The world No. 3 Indian pair will face China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in Saturday’s semifinals and are bidding to reach their first World Championships final.

The victory was emphatic in the first game as Satwik and Chirag seized the initiative with aggressive serving and sharp net play to build an 11-6 lead and close out the opener. The second game proved tighter, with the Malaysians mounting a late fightback and drawing level at 19-19 before the Indians held their nerve to convert match point. The contest lasted around 43 minutes, according to match reports.

After the win, Chirag described the result as a moment of redemption, recalling their defeat to the same opponents at the same venue in last year’s Olympics. Feeling really good, it was a rematch of sorts from the Olympics, and I think we finally got some redemption, he said. Rankireddy emphasised patience and focus, saying he kept telling himself not to hurry...