New Delhi, Aug 21: India's hopes of adding another medal at the BWF World Championships 2026 took a major blow on Friday (August 21) as fifth seeds Satwiksairaj
Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were knocked out in the men's doubles quarterfinals, going down 18-21, 9-21 to China's third-seeded Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The defeat came a day after PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty exited the singles events, leaving Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand as India's only remaining medal contenders. The women's doubles pair had earlier secured a medal with a quarterfinal win on Friday.
With home fans turning up in large numbers and hoping to see Satwik and Chirag continue their run, the Indian pair struggled to impose their attacking game against a Chinese combination that had already enjoyed a 9-4 head-to-head advantage over them before the contest. Liang and Wang extended that advantage to 10-4 with a dominant straight-game victory.
The first game, however, offered plenty of encouragement for the Indians.
Satwik and Chirag recovered from an early 3-0 deficit and gradually took control, moving into an 11-10 lead at the interval. They stretched that advantage to 15-12 and were still ahead at 18-17 before the Chinese pair produced a decisive late surge.
Three straight points took Liang and Wang to game point at 20-18 before they closed out the opening game 21-18.
For Chirag, that late phase proved crucial.
"We were leading till 18th minute. I think the game plan we had set was working really well," Chirag said after the match. "But after we lost the first game, I think they came back a lot harder in the second game. "
The Indian shuttler did not believe the pair had played a poor match, but felt Liang and Wang were more clinical when opportunities presented themselves.
"I think we played decent. I wouldn't say we played bad. But I think a lot of the points where we thought we would get, we didn't get because they were playing quite a solid game," he said.
The Chinese pair's defence also frustrated the Indians. Instead of merely retrieving difficult shots, Liang and Wang repeatedly turned defence into attack, preventing Satwik and Chirag from finishing points they expected to win.
"I think the defence as well. A lot of the points where we thought we would finish, they didn't finish. They were not just retrieving, even converting it into an offence," Chirag explained.
"That feels a little disappointing. But I think that is how sport is. "
Chinese defence blunts India's attack
The second game quickly slipped away from the Indians.
After the Chinese pair moved 3-1 ahead, Satwik and Chirag briefly restored parity at 3-3. But a series of errors and sustained pressure from Liang and Wang saw the deficit grow to 8-3.
The Chinese pair led 11-5 at the interval and continued to dominate after the change of ends. Satwik and Chirag managed only sporadic points as Liang and Wang opened up a 17-8 advantage before sealing the match 21-9.
Chirag acknowledged that the Chinese duo had anticipated their attacking patterns particularly well in the second game.
"It's not that we didn't get any lifts. We got a couple of lifts, quite a few lifts. But we weren't able to finish it as much as we would have wanted to," he said.
"They were defending it quite well and also dominating the front foot. "
Even when the Indians tried to vary their attack with soft drops before looking for the kill, the Chinese pair remained in control.
Satwik identifies service and return as the difference
Satwiksairaj, meanwhile, felt the contest was largely decided by who controlled the first four shots of the rallies.
"They like to play the faster game. They were quite good in the first four shots. Whoever controlled the first four shots was winning," Satwik said.
He felt India had done that effectively in the first game, but Liang and Wang gradually found solutions.
"In the first set, we were controlling it. And they got confident after one or two points," he said.
Satwik particularly pointed to the service and service-return exchanges as an area where the Chinese pair gained an advantage.
"The difference was only the service and service return. They got that spin," he explained.
According to Satwik, a change in the Chinese service action later in the opening game briefly forced the Indians to adjust, allowing Liang and Wang to build momentum at a critical stage.
"It took us one or two points to adjust it. So, 15 after 15, one or two points. It's 17-15, 18-15. So, it's just brave from that side. They committed. They played those strokes," he said.
For Satwik, losing the opening game against Liang and Wang was particularly damaging.
"I think it's always first game with them, especially with them. It's very important. First game, especially with them," he said.
Once the Chinese pair gained confidence, the Indians found it increasingly difficult to disrupt their rhythm.
"After second game, I think they got pretty much confident. They are everywhere. Wherever we are hitting, they are just playing their game," Satwik said.
Shoulder holds up despite demanding schedule
Satwik also provided an update on his troublesome shoulder, which has required continued management and rehabilitation.
He said the issue has been around for a long time and that his physical condition can fluctuate from tournament to tournament.
"It's there for a very long time for me. Just managing myself. Sometimes, I feel very good in one tournament. The next day, I feel very tight. The next day, I feel very burst. The next day, I feel like 100%," he said.
The Indian said he had completed six weeks of rehabilitation and strengthening work before the World Championships and was encouraged by how his shoulder responded to the demanding workload.
"I got good six weeks of rehab and strengthening. Right now, I feel pretty much good after a stress play," Satwik said.
He had concerns about how his shoulder would react after playing more than 80 minutes in the previous round, particularly with less than 24 hours between matches.
"I was worried because I played more than 80 minutes. So, after that, how my shoulder will respond. It's less than 24 hours we are playing again. So, it's difficult to recover and play again," he said.
"But today, I felt pretty much okay. So, it's a good sign for me coming back from injury. "
Chinese pair changed their approach
Satwik also admitted that Liang and Wang produced something different from what the Indians had expected based on their match analysis.
"Maybe we weren't expecting that," he said.
The Indian pair had expected the Chinese to rely more heavily on blocks and lifts to create attacking opportunities. Instead, Liang and Wang repeatedly pushed the shuttle and maintained pressure.
"But today, they were playing like all round. Just pushing, pushing, pushing," Satwik said.
That approach made it difficult for the Indians to lift the shuttle and create the attacking situations they wanted.
Ultimately, Satwik accepted that there were areas where the Indians could have been sharper.
"I think we are close to them. But we could have put a little bit more tighter from our side," he said.
The defeat ends Satwik and Chirag's campaign at the World Championships without another medal, but the pair were keen to take lessons from the loss rather than dwell on the disappointment.
"I think we will go back and learn how to do things," Satwik said.
For a pair accustomed to playing at the business end of major tournaments, the quarterfinal exit was a disappointing end on home soil. But their assessment afterwards was clear: the first game was within their control, while Liang and Wang were simply more effective in the decisive exchanges and considerably more dominant once they found their rhythm.
