Aichi, Sep 25 (IANS): Defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock first-round exit in the men’s doubles badminton event at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday, losing to Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukhphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul.
The World No. 5 Indian pair went down 21-12, 19-21, and 14-21 to the World No. 36 Thai duo at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, ending their title defence in disappointing fashion.
Satwik and Chirag had entered the Asian Games with considerable momentum after claiming the China Masters title last month. They fought back from a game down to defeat China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, and 21-17 in a 70-minute final. However, that momentum could not translate into another strong run in Nagoya.
Satwik and Chirag looked in complete control at the start against the Thai pair, racing through the opening game 21-12. But Sukhphun and Teeraratsakul gradually found their rhythm and made the Indians work harder in the second game.
The Thai duo built a four-point advantage at 17-13 before Satwik and Chirag fought back to close the gap to 18-19. The comeback, however, fell short as the Thai pair forced a decider.
Sukhphun and Teeraratsakul carried their momentum into the third game and quickly established control. Satwik and Chirag struggled to find a response as the Thai pair completed a memorable 21-14 win in the decider.
The defeat comes 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 duo produced a strong performance against reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, defeating the Chinese pair 21-11, 22-20. India eventually settled for bronze after their semifinal defeat.
With the individual men’s doubles campaign now over, Satwik and Chirag will leave the Asian Games without the opportunity to defend the gold medal they won in the previous edition.
