Semi-finals day at the 27th edition of the BWF World Championships went underway today at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The only Indian shuttlers left were the men’s doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They were up against the sixth seeds from Malaysia Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
The match got off to a terrific start as both pairs displayed high quality badminton. The Indians managed to get a good lead in the first game, but the Malaysians were resilient and got back to level the score. It was 19-19 when the Malaysians got their first game point. But the Indians were quick to save it and get game points of their own. They capitalized on it and took the first game 22-20.
The second game saw a similar fast start as both pairs played aggressively from all corners of the court. Some amazing defense from both sides saw some heated rallies between them. This time the Malaysians had the edge as they maintained their cool and took the second game 21-18 despite a strong Indian showing.
The third and deciding game proved no less of an entertainer as both pairs played in the same attacking fashion. The Malaysians had the one-point lead going into the mid-game interval. After the interval it was the Malaysians who asserted their presence on court as they capitalized on few errors by the Indian pair. It proved to be costly as they had let their opponents take a formidable lead. It was too late for a comeback as the Malaysians held on to win the third game 21-16.
A valiant fight from the Indians came to an end after an enthralling 77 minutes. Joy for the Malaysians as they make it to the final. The Indian pair had to settle for the bronze medal but they can be proud of what they have achieved this year at Tokyo. They became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a medal at the World Championships.
The sixth seeded Malaysians will go on to face the veterans from Indonesia, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the final who are seeded third and are going for their fourth gold medal at the World Championships as a pair.
Image credit: AP Photo
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