Badminton

Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have reclaimed their throne as the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair, following their triumph at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament. The duo's victory in Bangkok marks their second Thailand Open title, having previously won the crown in 2019.In the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on Tuesday, 'Sat-Chi' ascended two spots to regain the top rank with 99,670 points. Their victory over China's Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the Thailand Open final propelled them past the Chinese pair, who now sit at world number three.The Indian duo's success in Thailand is a testament to their consistent performances on the BWF World Tour. They have now won nine BWF world tour titles, including the French Open in March."Thailand Open has been a special tournament for us," said Satwik after their victory. "We won our first Super 500 crown here and have won many more tournaments thereafter. We are hoping that this victory will start another winning run for us."In the final against Chen and Yi, Satwik and Chirag showcased their dominance, winning in straight sets 21-15, 21-15. "We knew that we could not relax even for a single point against our opponents," said Satwik. "But we played our best game of the tournament today and controlled the situation very well."The Indian pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also made significant progress in the rankings, climbing two spots to reach number 19 after reaching the semifinals of the Thailand Open.Shuttler Meiraba Luwang Masnam, who had a remarkable run in the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals by defeating world number nine HS Prannoy and world number 54 Mads Christensen, also made a significant climb of 13 spots to reach world number 71.

India's top men's doubles badminton pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have stormed into the final of the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament in Bangkok. The duo cruised to a comfortable straight-game victory over Lu Ming-Che and Tang Kai-Wei of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals on Saturday.Satwik and Chirag, who won the Thailand Open title in 2019, needed just 35 minutes to dispatch their world No. 80 opponents 21-11, 21-12. The Indian pair dominated the match from start to finish, showcasing their superior skill and aggression.The victory marks the fourth final appearance for Satwik and Chirag in the BWF World Tour this season. They had previously finished runners-up at the Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 before claiming the French Super 750 in March.In the final on Sunday, the world number three Indian duo will face the Chinese pair of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi, who defeated Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang of South Korea in the other semifinal.Satwik and Chirag have had a mixed season so far, with some disappointing results in recent tournaments. However, their appearance in the Thailand Open final will provide a much-needed boost ahead of the Paris Olympics.The Indian pair's success in Thailand is a testament to their hard work and dedication. They have consistently performed at a high level and are now one of the top doubles teams in the world.

Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their impressive form at the Thailand Open, securing a spot in the semifinals of the men's doubles event. The world No. 3 duo cruised to a 21-7, 21-14 victory over Malaysians Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in the quarterfinals. They will now face Chinese Taipei's Lu Ming-Che and Tang Kai-Wei in the last four.In the women's doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also advanced to the semifinals, but their path was more challenging. They battled for one hour and 16 minutes to overcome the sixth-seeded South Korean pair of Lee Yu Lim and Shen Seung Chan, winning 21-15, 21-23, 21-19. The Indians will face top seeds Thai shuttlers Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the semifinals.However, the tournament came to an end for young Indian shuttler Meiraba Luwang Maisnam. The promising player was defeated 12-21, 5-21 by fourth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.The Indian duo of Satwik and Chirag have been in excellent form this season, winning the India Open and reaching the semifinals of the All England Open. They will be aiming to continue their winning streak and secure a podium finish in Bangkok. Crasto and Ponnappa, on the other hand, have shown great resilience and determination to reach the semifinals. They will be hoping to upset the top seeds and make it to the final.

Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a strong start to the Thailand Open, cruising into the men's doubles pre-quarterfinals with a dominant victory over Malaysia's Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong. The top-seeded Indian duo displayed their prowess, dispatching their opponents 21-13, 21-13 in a mere 34 minutes.In the next round, Satwik and Chirag will face a formidable challenge against the Chinese pair of Xie Hao Nan and Zeng Wei Han. Meanwhile, Ashmita Chaliha showcased her resilience in the women's singles competition, overcoming a first-game deficit to defeat Indonesia's Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo 19-21, 21-15, 21-14.However, a daunting task lies ahead for Ashmita in the second round, as she will confront the tournament's top seed, Han Yue of China. Yue proved her dominance by comfortably defeating another Indian, Malvika Bansod, 21-11, 21-10.