Asian Games 2023: Satwik-Chirag Enter Gold Medal Match, HS Prannoy Settles For Historic Bronze In Men's Singles

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Hangzhou, October 6: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept India's hopes of a badminton gold in the Asian Games 2023 following a straight games win in the men's doubles semifinal on Friday (October 6) in Hangzhou.

The top men's doubles pair of India, Satwik-Chirag defeated Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik by a scoreline of 21-17, 21-10 in 47 minutes on court 1 at the Binjiang Gymnasium.

The second seeds Satwik and Chirag, who had already assured India of a historic men's doubles medal at the Asian Games by winning their match in the quarterfinals, will now be the first men's doubles pair from the country to play in the Asian Games gold medal match.

Standing in the way of the Indian duo's quest for a gold medal is Korea's Choi Sol Gyu and Kim Won Ho, who Satwik-Chirag will meet in the final on Saturday (October 7). The two teams have already crossed paths twice so far, and it's the Indian duo that hold the advantage.

Earlier, the world number three pair ended India's 41-year men's doubles medal drought at the Asiad. Leroy D'Sa and Pradeep Gandhe were the last Indian athletes to bring home a medal. At the Asian Games in Delhi in 1982, they took home a bronze medal.

Prannoy Settles For Historic Bronze

Earlier on Friday (October 6), HS Prannoy settled for a historic bronze in badminton competition at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 following a straight games loss in the men's singles semifinal.

The fifth-seeded India, who came into the last four clash guaranteed of a medal, went down 16-21, 9-21 against home-favourite Li Shi Feng of China in 51 minutes on court 1.

While he put up a fight against an opponent, whom he had beaten in all three previous occasions, in the first game, Prannoy looked listless in the second game.

Prannoy, however, will be content with a bronze, which is only the second men's singles medal won by an Indian at the Asian Games. This is the first men's singles medal since 41 years after Syed Modi previously won Bronze medal in 1982 edition of the Asian Games.

The 31-year-old, who was part of the men's silver-winning team, had assured himself his second medal in the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou following a hard-fought win over Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia by a scoreline of 21-16, 21-23, 22-20 in the quarterfinal on Thursday (October 5).

Earlier on Thursday (October 5), two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu suffered a straight games loss to He Bing Jiao of China to bow out of the women's singles competition in the quarterfinal stage, missing out on a medal in Hangzhou.