Asian Games 2023: Satwik-Chirag become first Indian men's doubles pair to reach final, HS Prannoy wins bronze

Satchi are also set to become World No. 1.

In a remarkable display of skill, the men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has excelled, securing a spot in the final and bringing India one step closer to potentially winning its first-ever badminton gold at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou.

The formidable men's doubles duo of Satwik-Chirag, currently ranked third in the world, continued their exceptional performance at the Asian Games. Having recently contributed to India's silver medal win in the men's team event, they showcased their prowess by defeating Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who had previously won bronze in Tokyo and were former world champions.

The Indian duo won convincingly with a score of 21-17, 21-12 in just 46 minutes, underscoring their dominance on the badminton court. With this, Satwik-Chirag becomes the first ever Indian Men's doubles player to enter the finals of Asian Games.

They will reach a career high rank of World No. 1 on Tuesday and hence become the fourth Indians after Prakash Padukone (1980), Saina Nehwal (2015) and Kidambi Srikanth (2018) to reach the feat, the first and only doubles pair to be crowned as World No. 1 in the Indian history.

Indian star shuttler HS Prannoy achieved a bronze medal in the men's singles badminton category at the 19th Asian Games. His tournament journey concluded in the semifinals with a 0-2 (16-21, 9-21) defeat against China's Li Shifeng.

In the opening game, the world's number seven badminton player trailed by just one point. However, the Chinese shuttler made an impressive comeback, winning the game with a score of 21-16. In the second game, Li Shi Feng dominated with a score of 21-9, sealing victory in just over 45 minutes. This victory shattered India's hopes for a gold medal bid and left Prannoy with a bronze.

Nevertheless, this achievement was historic as it marked the end of a 41-year-long drought for India in men's singles badminton at the Games. The last time India secured a medal in this category was in 1982 when Syed Modi finished third in the Asian Games.