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Indian badminton players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have secured the country's first medal in the men's doubles at the BWF World Championships.
They beat defending champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the quarter-finals on Friday. The Indian pair got the better of the Japanese 24-22, 15-21, 21-14 in a pulsating one-hour and 15-minute contest.
Chirag and Satwiksairaj will meet sixth seeds Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh of Malaysia in the semi-finals.
In the quarters, the players gave nothing away as they engaged in long rallies laden with boisterous smashes and winners. The pair thus ensured India's first medal at the ongoing edition of the BWF World Championships.
You can watch the highlights of the match here:
Chirag and Satwiksairaj are the second Indian pair to win a medal at the BWF World Championships after Ashwini Ponappa and Jwala Gutta. The women's doubles pair won the bronze medal in the 2011 edition in London.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy bring their best game
Satwiksairaj and Chirag came out with a lot of intent as they dominated the proceedings early on to establish a 12-5 lead in the first game but the Japanese pair reeled off seven points on the trot to take a 16-14 advantage.
However, the Indian duo fought tooth and nail to ensure they had the advantage after the opening game.
Takuro and Yugo made a strong comeback in the second after breaking away at 9-9 following a tight battle. With the match hanging in the balance, the Indian pair once again found their bearings as the two strengthened their defense and mounted an attack to lead 11-5 at the interval.
Satwiksairaj and Chirag then extended their lead to 14-8 before they were called for a fault for touching the net during a return. They managed to put that behind them and surge into the lead at 16-9.
Yugo produced some sensational shots, including a powerful smash and a cross-court return, to keep the Japanese duo's chances alive with three points.
Two shots going wide from the Japanese pair put India a couple of points away from the win at 19-13.
The Indians then grabbed seven match points with another superb return which their opponents failed to negotiate. A tad nervous, Satwik faltered on his serve but Yugo sent the shuttle to the net as Chirag let out a cry in celebration.
Indian doubles pair ensure 13th overall medal
Satwiksairaj and Chirag ensured India's 13th medal at the showpiece event. PV Sindhu has won five medals, including a gold in 2019, with Saina Nehwal (silver and bronze) winning two. Kidambi Srikanth (silver), Lakshya Sen (bronze), B Sai Praneeth (bronze) and Prakash Padukone (bronze) are the other Indian medalists.
It could have been a double delight for the country but China's Zhao Jun Peng had other plans as he broke Indian hearts with a 19-21, 21-6, 21-18 win over former World No. 8 HS Prannoy, who went down on one knee with his head hanging in disappointment after a gut-wrenching loss.
Read: Tamil Nadu teenager Sankar Muthusamy jumps to World No. 1 spot in junior BWF rankings
Earlier, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila's fine run also ended after the Indian pair lost 8-21, 14-21 to three-time champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in another men's doubles quarter-final.
