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India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were knocked out of the ongoing BWF World Championships after suffering a straight-game defeat to China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Indian men's doubles pair, playing in front of a home crowd, went down 18-21, 9-21 as Liang and Wang produced a clinical performance to book their place in the semifinals. Satwik and Chirag started strongly and kept the contest close in the opening game. The Indians led 18-16 and looked in control before the Chinese pair turned the momentum around with five consecutive points to take the game 21-18. Liang and Wang carried their momentum into the second game and quickly established control. The Chinese pair led 11-5 at the interval and continued to extend their advantage as Satwik and Chirag struggled to find their rhythm. The Indian pair committed several errors, particularly around the net, while Liang and Wang remained composed and capitalised on their opponents' mistakes. The Chinese duo eventually closed out the second game 21-9 to seal their semifinal berth. Satwik's shoulder issue also appeared to hamper the Indian pair, restricting some of the shots he could play during the match. The quarterfinal began with both pairs locked in a tight battle, with neither side allowing the other to establish a significant advantage. The Indians held an 11-10 lead at the mid-game interval before the Chinese pair gradually took control. Despite the defeat, Satwik and Chirag had produced a strong campaign at the home World Championships, with their run ending in the last eight. For Liang and Wang, the victory secured their place in the semifinals, while Satwik's shoulder could now require a period of rest and recovery. India's women's doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand registered a phenomenal comeback victory over China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals to storm into the semifinals of the ongoing BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Friday, assuring themselves of at least a bronze medal. The Indian duo recovered from losing the opening game to register a 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 victory in a match that lasted over 70 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. (ANI)
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