Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty set to face formidable Chia-Soh in Paris Olympics quarterfinals

NEW DELHI: In the upcoming quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's doubles team, comprising Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, is set to face the Malaysian duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.This match is highly anticipated, given the competitive history between the two pairs. Rankireddy and Shetty, previously ranked number one globally, advanced as the leaders of Group C, setting up their encounter with Chia and Soh, who were the runners-up in Group A, trailing behind the world's top-ranked pair from China, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.The Malaysian team, which once dominated the head-to-head record against the Indian shuttlers with eight consecutive wins, has recently faced three consecutive defeats in their latest matchups.A victory in this quarterfinal would potentially pit the Indian pair against the tournament's top seeds, Liang and Wang, assuming the latter triumphs over the Indonesian team of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in their quarterfinal match. The competition between the Indian and Malaysian pairs has always been fiercely contested, with both sides aspiring to clinch their country's first badminton gold medal in the Olympics.The Malaysian pair is recognized for their strategic prowess, precision, and fast-paced gameplay. In contrast, Rankireddy and Shetty are known for their aggressive playing style, which they will need to employ effectively from the start to overcome their opponents. Having previously experienced several defeats against Chia and Soh, the Indian pair managed to secure their first victory against the Malaysians at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 final in the previous year, followed by wins at the 2022 Asian Games individual event and the India Open.Elsewhere in the tournament, the second half of the draw features a match between the second-seeded Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen and the fourth-seeded Korean team of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae. Furthermore, Thailand's Supak Jomkoh and Kedren Kittinupong will compete against the Tokyo Olympic gold medallists Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin from Chinese Taipei, promising a series of compelling matches in the men's doubles category.