Satwik and Chirag survive tricky test to reach quarters, keep medal hopes alive

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty survived a tense three-game battle against Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy Kim Yap to reach the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Thursday.BWF Worlds: Satwik-Chirag beat Malaysian pair in 3-game thriller to reach quarter-finals (Reuters File Photo)It was a battle of nerves, grit and relentless attacking badminton, but Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dug deep to beat Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy Kim Yap 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 in a thrilling Round of 16 clash at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi.The fifth-seeded Indian pair fought back from a game down in 82 minutes to keep their hopes of winning a World Championships medal on home soil alive. Their victory provided some much-needed cheer on a difficult day for the Indian contingent, with PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty bowing out in the singles competitions.Satwik and Chirag made a strong start, leading 11-8 at the opening interval, but Arif and Yap steadily worked their way back into the contest. The Malaysians levelled at 18-18 before edging ahead to take the opening game 23-21.The Indians responded strongly in the second game. They again led 11-8 at the interval and continued to put pressure on their opponents with their aggressive attacking play. The Malaysians stayed within touching distance, but Satwik and Chirag held their nerve in the closing stages to take the game 21-19 and force a decider. The third game was just as closely fought. Arif and Yap led 11-8 at the break before the Indians began to chip away at the deficit. Satwik and Chirag levelled at 16-16 and then moved ahead 19-17 as the home crowd found its voice.With the match entering a tense final phase, Chirag was urged to quicken the pace. The change brought an immediate reward as the Malaysians made an error. The Indians then produced another outstanding rally, defending under pressure before Satwik finished it with a powerful smash. Another Malaysian error handed the Indians two match points. Satwik made no mistake with the next opportunity, producing a decisive winner to complete a hard-earned comeback.It was Satwik and Chirag's first match of the tournament after they received a first-round bye and progressed to the Round of 16 through a second-round walkover.The pair, who won bronze medals at the 2022 and 2025 World Championships, will face third seeds Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the quarter-finals.For Sindhu, however, the day ended in disappointment. The two-time Olympic medallist's bid for an unprecedented sixth World Championships medal ended with an 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 defeat to China's world No. 3 Wang Zhi Yi.Ayush Shetty's run also came to an end in the men's singles. The 21-year-old, who stunned defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, went down 19-21, 11-21 to world No. 12 Alwi Farhan.It was Shetty's fifth defeat in eight meetings against the 11th-seeded Indonesian and brought India's men's singles campaign to a close. Lakshya Sen had exited the tournament on Wednesday.There was more positive news in the women's doubles, with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reaching the quarter-finals with a 21-16, 21-12 win over Japanese seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.The unseeded Indian pair, with Treesa returning from injury, produced a controlled performance to beat the world No. 7 Japanese duo in straight games.They became the first Indian women's doubles pair to reach the World Championships quarter-finals since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa achieved the feat in 2015.BRIEF RESULTS:Satwik-Chirag beat Junaidi Arif/Roy Kim Yap (Malaysia) 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 to reach the quarter-finals.PV Sindhu lost to Wang Zhi Yi (China) 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 in the Round of 16 and exited the tournament.Ayush Shetty lost to Alwi Farhan (Indonesia) 19-21, 11-21 in the Round of 16.Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand beat Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (Japan) 21-16, 21-12 to reach the quarter-finals.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 21:16 IST