Malaysia Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag, Ashwini-Tanisha progress to quarterfinals; Kidambi Srikanth crashes out

Satwik-Chirag will face He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu of China in the quarters.

Asian Games gold medalist and Khel Ratna awardee Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continue their impressive run to advance to the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open 2024.

World No. 2 pair, Satwik, and Chirag, who have been nothing sort of a revelation in the Badminton Circuit defeated Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar, France’s world No. 36 pair, with a score of 21-11 21-18 and set them up for a clash with He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu, the world No. 32 pair from China.

In the initial game, Satwik and Chirag, World No. 2, showcased an assertive style of play, quickly amassing an 11-2 lead before the interval. The French duo found a glimmer of hope following a seven-point rally after the break, narrowing the score to 11-14.

However, the Indian pair quickly regained their momentum, securing the remaining seven points in succession to clinch the opening game.

The second game saw an unexpected turn of events as Corvee and Labar launched an aggressive offensive, establishing an 11-4 lead at the break.

Despite the daunting 4-11 deficit, Satwik and Chirag managed to stage an impressive comeback, leveling the score at 16-16.

As the French shot went out of bounds, the advantage swung back to the Indians. Labar capitalized on a weak return to keep the French duo in contention. A deceptive shot from Chirag, followed by a rapid rally, earned India three match points

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On the other hand, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto registered a brilliant win against the world number nine pair of Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara.

The Indian women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto created a huge upset at the Malaysia Open 2024 when they beat the former World No. 1 Japanese pair of Wakana Nagahara and Matsumoto Mayu 21-19, 13-21, 21-15.

The WR-24 Indian team has now made it to the quarters of the prestigious event, where they will meet another Japanese pair of Kie Nakanishi and Rin Iwanaga.

However, for veteran men’s singles and former world no.1, Kidambi Srikanth, the season-opener has been a bit torrid as he went down in straight sets against Ng Ka Long Angus from Hong Kong. The 30-year-old had a scratchy passage of play as he struggled to keep up with the momentum of the game.

In the end, Srikanth crashed out of the Round of 16 with a scoreline of 13-21, 17-21. Subsequently, it also ended the challenge of India in the men’s singles category.

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