Thai pair eliminate defending champions in Asian Games doubles

Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun eliminated defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the first round of the men’s doubles badminton event at the Asian Games on September 25, ending the Indian pair’s title defense. India had a contrasting result in mixed doubles, where Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the quarterfinals with a win over Malaysia’s Shevon Jemie Lai and Soon Huat Goh. Rankireddy and Shetty took the opening game against the Thai pair before losing the next two. The match score is reported as 12-21, 21-19, 21-14 in some accounts and 21-12, 19-21, 21-14 in another; the reports differ on how the opening-game score is presented. The accounts agree that the Thai pair won the second game 21-19 and the decider 21-14. The loss sent the defending champions out in their opening round. Crasto and Kapila secured their place in the last eight by beating Malaysia’s Lai and Goh 22-20, 24-22. The close two-game result followed their earlier victory over Maldives pair Nibal Ahmed and Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq, 21-8, 21-7.