Aichi, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock first-round exit from the men’s doubles badminton event at the Asian Games 2026 after losing to Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukhphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul on Friday.
The World No. 5 Indian pair went down 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to the World No. 36 Thai duo at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, ending their title defence at the opening hurdle.
Satwik and Chirag started strongly, taking the opening game 21-12. However, Sukhphun and Teeraratsakul gradually found their rhythm and built a 17-13 lead in the second game.
The Indians fought back to reduce the deficit to 18-19, but the Thai pair held their nerve to force a decider.
The momentum remained with the Thai duo in the third game as they quickly established control. Satwik and Chirag struggled to find a response before Sukhphun and Teeraratsakul closed out the deciding game 21-14.
The defeat came just days after Satwik and Chirag played a key role in India’s bronze-medal-winning campaign in the men’s team event. In the semifinal against China, the Indian pair defeated reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20. India eventually settled for bronze after losing the semifinal tie.
Satwik and Chirag had entered the Asian Games on the back of a China Masters title last month, where they defeated China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a 70-minute final.
With their individual men’s doubles campaign now over, the Indian pair will leave the Asian Games without defending the gold medal they won at the previous edition.
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