Paris Olympics 2024: Satwik-Chirag top group stage unbeaten, Ashwini-Tanisha crash out

Satwik-Chirag are the first Indian doubles pair to qualify for quarterfinals

An unconquerable Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their last group round match in the men’s doubles competition at the Paris Olympics 2024 here on Tuesday. Satwik-Chirag was at his aggressive best in mind to thrash Indonesia’s Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian in straight games in court 3 of the La Chapelle Arena.

Satwik-Chirag took just 40 minutes to win the match with a 21-13, 21-13 margin and have now qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition.

The scorecard did not tell the story of the intensity as Satwik-Chirag had to find it hard in the Parisian heat against the world No #6 Indonesian pair that raced up the challenge of the Indian third seed. Having led the first half of the opening game comfortably at 11-8, Satwik-Chirag raised the intensity on their flat pushes and just relentlessly ramped up pressure but never letting off the gas.

The final point of the first game came via a thundering smash from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, the muscular presence in the game. It was through the center of the court, indicative of them sticking to basics that beat the Indonesian pair, who kept switching off from time to time and made silly mistakes.

The second game was a carbon copy of the first, with Satwik-Chirag in front, 11-8, at the break. The pair again came out strong in the second half of the game, breaking clear to a 14-8 advantage.

The Indonesians, however tested the duo better in the second half of the game by virtue of cross-court drops from close quarters and hitting powerful flat drives when the Indian duo were off position. Indeed, the second half was more revealing of the ability of both duets who preferred to play close to the net and show their elite reflex skills to win points.

Satwik-Chirag again picked up their level after losing 4 straight points from 14-8 and finished the game by a 21-13 margin once again. The basic difference between the two was the gulf in the quality of return between the two sides. While Satwik-Chirag were accurate in finding tough spaces in the court, the Indonesian pair were inconsistent in holding their highest level throughout the match.

On the back of this victory, Satwik-Chirag, with three wins out of three, finished top in their Group C and now have to wait for the draws to know their opponents in the quarterfinals.

Also Read: India at Paris Olympics 2024: Badminton schedule, squad, live streaming details

In contrast, the campaign of India’s women’s badminton pair, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, at the Paris Olympics 2024 is over as they went down without an iota of sweat to Australia’s Angela Yu and Setyana Mapasa in straight games.

The campaign was not ideal for Ponnappa and Crasto as the duo failed to register a single win in the group stages. They played against big guns like South Korea, Japan, and now Australia, but ended their doubles campaign winless. The final group stage game ended 15-21 and 10-21 in the Group C clash held at the La Chappelle arena.

The Indian pair also has the unwanted record of having the worst points difference amongst all contenders across all groups in the ongoing Paris Olympic Games.

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