Badminton News: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s top men’s doubles duo, achieved their career-best third world ranking after claiming their maiden Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open last week.
The Indian pair have beaten defending champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in back-to-back matches, making them the first Indian pair to win the Super 1000 tournament.
Satwik and Chirag have had a great 2023 so far, having won two World Tour titles, the Swiss Open and a gold medal at the Asian Badminton Championships.
“We prepared very well for this event. We know the public will support us. They have been supporting us all week. It was a great week for us. We played badminton unbelievably today,” said Satwiksairaj.
They added another accolade to their career after winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and a bronze medal at the world championships last year.
Earlier, the 2022 world championship bronze medalists became the first Indian pair to reach the final of a Super 1000 tournament.
Satwik/Chirag also staged a sensational comeback to defeat Korean combination Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae 17-21, 21-19, 21-18 in a thrilling semi-final.
In men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth climbed three places to reach the top 20, securing 19th in the world. Lakshya Sen followed closely at No. 18 in the world, moving up two places. HS Prannoy, who lost to world number one Victor Axelsen in the semi-finals, is the highest ranked Indian player in men’s singles, retaining his world ranking of nine.
India’s rising star Priyanshu Rajawat reached a career-high No. 30 in the world, moving up four spots. A total of four Indian tennis players are currently ranked in the top 30 in men’s singles.
In women’s singles, PV Sindhu managed to hold on and climb two rungs to rank 12th in the world. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal moved up to 31st in the world rankings, moving up one level.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand held on to 16th place, while Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam fell two places to 41st.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Sikki Reddy moved up two places to reach 33rd in the world. Tanisha Crasto and Ishan Bhatnagar fell one place and are now ranked 38th in the world.
Article Tags: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, BWF Ranking
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