Badminton Asia Championships 2023, Highlights: Satwik-Chirag pair wins men’s doubles gold medal

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Losing semifinalists - Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin and Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi - take the bronze medal. Silved medal goes to Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. And the gold medal goes to the new Asian champions - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India!

Body smash from Satwik to end the proceedings!!! Satwik and Chirag are the new Asian Champions!

And the Malaysians have saved two of them. Can they save the third?

Cross-court smash from Chirag. Three championship points!

Kill from Chirag takes the Indians within two points of the title.

Great interception at the net from Teo to win the point and keep Malaysia’s hopes alive.

Cross-court return from Ong goes wide. Finishing line in sight for the men in yellow.

Ong nets a return and Indians take the lead.

Quick kill from Chirag to level the score.

Epic rally and the Malaysians come out on top with Teo hitting a body shot at Satwik.

Three in a row for the Indians. It is not over yet!

Body smash on Satwik by Ong.

Smash down the middle from Chirag. Still, a three-point gap.

Teo changes the direction of attack and goes cross-court, catching Chirag off-guard.

Deep flick serve from Teo, Chirag tracks back, loses balance but luckily for him, it is long and the point goes to the Indians.

A three-point lead for the Malaysians going into the final mid-game interval.

Chirag smashes one into the net. Another error that could have been avoided.

Challenge from the Malaysians but the original decision stands. The return from Ong was long and landed beyond the baseline.

Backhand return from Satwik goes wide.

Service error from Teo.

Another from the back of the court by Satwik. Three-point advantage for the Malaysians.

Ong keeps the point going despite losing balance and wins it as Chirag hits the smash into the net.

Drive from the back of the court from Satwik hits the top of the net.

Easy smash for Chirag to finish the point.

Rocket return from Teo and Chirag is unable to react in time.

Cross-court drive from Chirag, Teo out of position and sends the return off the court.

Final game begins with a service error from Chirag.

Error from Teo! Satwik and Chirag take the second game and take this to a decider!

Excellent overhead return from Chirag to quickly kill the point. Three game points.

Weak return from Teo. Only goes as far as the net.

Backhand return from Ong lands well wide.

Lovely drop shot from Satwik after Chirag set up the point with a smash down the line.

Another run of four straight points for the Indians.

From 7-13 down, the Indians have levelled the score. Incredible turnaround.

Great judgement from the Indian pair. Ong’s return lands long.

A run of five straight points for the Indians ends as Chirag drives one into the net.

Four consecutive points for the Indians. Now or never and they very well know it!

Nice backhand kill, this time from Satwik.

Easy kill for Teo. Six-point lead.

Chirag finds the corner with a drive shot.

Return from Satwik finds the net. Five-point lead for the Malaysians at the halfway stage in this second game.

A flurry of smashes from Chirag after initially building the point with net shots. Cuts the deficit to four.

Challenge from the Malaysians. They feel Ong’s smash caught the line but the hawk-eye shows they are wrong.

Service error for height from Chirag.

The Indians fail to finish the point and pay the price. Lead for Ong and Teo extends to five points.

The momentum is clearly with the Malaysians. A simple cross-court drive from Teo catches Shetty on the wrong side at the back of the court.

Great cross-court smash from Teo and Chirag is unable to lift it.

Nice hook smash from Shetty.

What a rally! Teo twice dives to retrieve Chirag’s net shots before Ong somehow manages to land the shuttle inside the court while trying to return a smash from Satwik.

Satwik and Chirag save two game points. Still, a long way to go.

No relief for the Indians. Chirag nets a backhand as Malaysians move closer to taking the opener.

Ong Yew Sin keeps the Indians guessing and eventually draws the error from Chirag. A commanding five-point lead for the Malaysians now.

Make that five in a row. Quick kill from Teo.

Three points on the trot for the Malaysians. Making a move here?

Satwik blasts one smash into the court. And Chirag does the same in the next rally.

Great backhand flick from Satwik.

Chirag nets one return after doing well to stay in the rally. One-point lead for the Malaysians at the mid-game interval.

Turning defence into attack with ease. Satwik and Chirag level the scores again. What a close start this has been!

First challenge comes from the Indians but it is unsuccessful as the return from the Malaysians had caught the outer sideline.

Unbelievable defence from the Indians. Ong kept on sending one smash after another from the net but Satwik and Chirag kept on lifting and eventually, Satwik’s return went over the Malaysians and landed inside the baseline.

Satwik drives one into the net. Scores level.

Superb smash from Satwik, aimed right at Ong’s feet and the Malaysian is unable to send the shuttle back.

Teo to serve first to Satwik. Chirag overhits a drive and first point goes to the Malaysians. However, the Indian pair equalises quickly.

The two finalists are on court now. The Malaysian pair in black jerseys and the Indians in yellow and white. Satwik and Chirag win the toss and choose side.

Final match of the day - the men’s doubles final - is about to begin.

India has won only one gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships which came in the 1965 edition in Lucknow when Dinesh Khanna beat Thailand’s Sangob Rattanusorn in the men’s singles final.

Played: 6 | Satwik-Chirag: 3 | Ong-Teo: 3

Semifinals - Won 21-16, 26-24 against Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi (Japan)

Quarterfinals - Won 22-20, 21-15 against Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)

Second Round - Won 10-21, 21-15, 22-20 againstAyato Endo/Yuta Takei (Japan)

First Round - Won 12-21, 21-16, 21-12 against M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila (India)

Semifinals - Won 21-18, 13-14 retd. against Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei)

Quarterfinals - Won 21-11, 21-12 against Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia)

Second Round - Won 21-13, 21-11 against Jin Yong/Na Sung Seung (Korea)

First Round - Won 21-14, 21-17 against Tan Kian Meng/Tan Wee Kiong (Malaysia)

India’s star men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty is on the verge of creating history as it stands a solid chance to be crowned Asian champion.

Satwik-Chirag will take on Malaysia’s world no. 8 combo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the summit clash.

India’s previous best in men’s doubles category at the continental event was a bronze medal-finish by Dipu Ghosh and Raman Ghosh in 1971.