Published: September 25, 2026 at 3:17 pm
It turned out to be a shocking day for Indian badminton as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s doubles title defence at the Asian Games 2026 ended with a shock first-round defeat in Aichi on Friday.
Satwik and Chirag, fifth in the badminton rankings, lost 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s world No. 36 pair Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
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The defeat ended Satwik and Chirag’s bid to retain the historic title they won at Hangzhou 2023, where they became the first Indian badminton players to win an Asian Games gold medal.
Earlier this week, Satwik and Chirag had beaten world No. 3 and reigning world champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20 during India’s men’s team semifinal against the People’s Republic of China. The Indian pair eventually returned with a bronze medal from the team event.
Satwik and Chirag take first set
The Indian pair dominated the opening game from the outset. After going 2-1 up, Satwik-Chirag did not allow their Thai opponents to take the lead and comfortably closed out the game 21-12.
The second game, however, developed into a seesaw battle. Satwik and Chirag led 4-2 before Teeraratsakul and Sukphun drew level at 5-5 and gradually wrested control, taking an 11-9 advantage into the interval.
Asian Games: India settle for bronze as they lose to China 1-3 in badminton semifinals
The Thai pair increased their cushion after the break and led 17-13. Satwik and Chirag mounted a late fightback but could not overturn the deficit as Teeraratsakul and Sukphun forced a decider with a 21-19 win.
There was little to separate the two combinations early in the third game, with the scores locked at 6-6. Teeraratsakul and Sukphun once again went into the interval with a two-point advantage at 11-9 before pulling away following the change of ends to take the decider and complete the upset.
Tanish and Dhruv in second round
India did, however, enjoy a notable result in the mixed doubles. World No. 19 Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila beat Malaysian world No. 10 pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai 22-20, 24-22 in the second round.
Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila beat Malaysian world No. 10 pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai 22-20, 24-22 in the second round. Pics: BAI/X
Tanisha and Dhruv had earlier opened their campaign with a comfortable 21-8, 21-7 victory over Maldives’ Aminath Abdul Razzaq and Nibal Ahmed in the first round.
In the women’s singles, Unnati Hooda beat Yu Mi Song of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 21-9, 21-10. The Indian will face Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in the next round.
