Satwik and Chirag save match point and stun Olympic silver medalists at World Tour Finals | Badminton News – The Times of India

India’s top men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a remarkable comeback to defeat Olympic silver medalists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in their opening Group B match at the BWF World Tour Finals on Wednesday. The world No. 3 Indian duo, the country’s only representatives at the season-ending event, overturned an early setback and even saved a match point to record a hard-fought 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 win over the world No. 5 Chinese pair. Looking back on the match, Chirag admitted that the start was slow. “In the first game we didn’t start that well. Credit to them, they kept putting a lot of pressure on us and didn’t really let us get into the game.” But I think from the second game we knew we wanted to start well, be as aggressive as possible and that’s what we did,” he said. Satwik and Chirag entered the match trailing 3-7 in head-to-head encounters against Liang and Wang, and the opening match followed that script. Short, quick rallies dominated, with both pairs relying on attacking drives and sharp smashes. After leveling at 7-7, the Chinese pair took control with a string of points, capitalizing on net interceptions and forcing mistakes to end the first game comfortably in just 13 minutes. In the second game there was a noticeable change in momentum. Despite falling behind early again, the Indians began varying the pace more effectively and using flatter lifts to disrupt their opponents. A series of long, grueling rallies helped them claw their way back, and they took the lead on the break with improved aggression from Satwik. China fought back strongly and even earned a match point at 19-18, but Satwik and Chirag kept their nerves under control. They saved the match point, forced mistakes from Liang and took advantage of a moment of confusion to decide the match. Chirag closed the match with a decisive jump smash. The decider was closely contested in the early stages, with neither side able to retreat. Liang and Wang briefly held the lead, but the Indians responded with fierce body attacks and sharper interceptions. Signs of pressure began to emerge in the Chinese camp as service and net errors crept in, while Satwik and Chirag grew in confidence. From 13-10, the Indian duo took firm control and unleashed sustained attacks to break free. They earned seven match points after another Chinese error, and although one was saved, the match ended with Liang and Wang going wide, sealing a memorable comeback victory for the Indians. The Asian Games champions, who finished runners-up at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters earlier this year, now face another tough challenge against Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri on Thursday as they look to build on an impressive start to their campaign.