January 10, 2025 7:57 PM.
In Badminton, India’s pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the semifinals of men’s doubles of the Malaysia Super 1000 badminton tournament today, with a straight-game victory over Malaysia’s Yew Sin Ong and Ee Yi Teo 26-24, 21-15 in 49 minutes.
The seventh-seeded Indian duo took an early lead in a closely contested first game, which lasted 28 minutes. In the second game, the Malaysian pair led for much of the time before the interval, but Rankireddy and Shetty leveled the score at 11-11 and seized control after the break to seal the win.
The Malaysian pair began the second game with renewed vigour, seizing the lead early and maintaining it until the mid-game interval. At 11-11, Satwik and Chirag, the Commonwealth and Asian Games medallists, shifted gears, finding their rhythm and executing a series of well-coordinated smashes and deceptive drops.
What followed was a display of dominance as the Indian duo claimed 13 of the next 17 points. Their ability to adapt under pressure and capitalize on crucial moments proved decisive, allowing them to close out the second game 21-15 and secure their place in the semifinals.