Indian Badminton Hopes Hinge on Satwik-Chirag at Malaysian Open

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will play in the Malaysian Open's quarterfinals after a decisive win. Despite their success, other Indian players faced eliminations, marking a challenging day for India. HS Prannoy, Malvika Bansod, and doubles teams succumbed to tough competition.

The Indian badminton duo, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, will compete in the Malaysian Open quarterfinals this Friday. The pair, affectionately known as 'Sat-Chi', advanced to the final eight on Thursday with a decisive victory over local favorites Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong, winning 21-15, 21-15 at Kuala Lumpur's Stadium Axiata Arena. Their upcoming opponent is Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, as reported by Olympics.com.

This victory was bittersweet for India, as it marked the only triumph on an otherwise disappointing day. HS Prannoy, ranked 26th worldwide, saw his tournament stint end at the hands of China's seventh seed, She Feng Li. Despite a second-game win and pushing the final game to a tiebreak, Prannoy was defeated 8-21, 21-15, 21-23 after more than an hour of play.

In women's singles, Malvika Bansod's journey concluded in the round of 16. Despite an early 6-2 lead against China's third seed, Han Yue, she faltered, losing 18-21, 11-21. Additionally, India's other doubles pairs faced setbacks; the mixed duo of Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto and women's pair Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand were ousted in the round of 16. Kapila-Crasto fell 13-21, 20-22 to China's Zhang Chi-Cheng Xing, while Treesa-Gayatri, after winning their first game, lost 21-15, 18-21, 19-21 to Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian. The tournament culminates on Sunday, January 12. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)