25 March,2023 12:11 PM IST | Basel | PTI
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy of India pose on the podium with their bronze medals.Pic/AFP
Dynamic Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has entered the semi-finals of the Swiss Open Super Series 300 badminton event defeating the Danish pair of Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede in three hard-fought games.
On Friday night, the Indian pair fought off the challenge in 54 minutes, winning 15-21, 21-11, 21-14.
The victory came after a hard-fought 84-minute quarter-final battle and now they will face the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi late on Saturday night.
Satwik-Chirag are the only Indian contenders left in a tournament where the likes of PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen suffered early defeats.
The Indian pair didn't have a great start as they lost the first game easily at 15-21. The duo did pull things up in the middle of the game, reducing the deficit to just one point as they trailed 15-16.
However, the Danish pair won six consecutive points to wrap up the first game with ease.
The Indian pair picked up the tempo in the second game as they quickly got a seven-point cushion of 11-4 at the halfway break. They extended the lead to 10 points by the time parity was restored.
Also read: PV Sindhu exits, Satwik-Chirag duo enters quarters of Swiss Open
The third game started on an even keel but the Indians were fantastic at the net as they first got an 11-7 lead and then maintained a seven-point advantage till the end of the match to enter the last-four in style.
A tournament win will be a good comeback for the pair after a disappointing early round exit at the All England Championships.
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