India men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be in action today at the Malaysia Open 2023 when they take on China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the semifinal clash in Kuala Lumpur. The seventh-seed pair got defeated Chinese duo of Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi 17-21, 22-20, 21-9 in a hard-fought quarterfinals yesterday.
Satwik and Chirag had a memorable last year when they won two World Tour titles that included India Open Super 500 and French Open Super 750. Besides that, they won the CWG gold medal, played a vital role in guiding India to title win in Thomas Cup and took bronze in the World Championships.
“We have the same targets this year, basically to do well in big events, including the All England where we haven’t won a medal so far. I guess, a good show in 4-5 events in a year will be good enough to seal the Olympic qualification,” Chirag told PTI in an interview.
Their sparkling display in 2022 saw the pair rise to a career-best ranking of world No. 5 at the fag end of the year and Chirag says the next aim is to breach the top 3.
“Reaching the top 5 was a dream for us but we believe we are capable of going higher,” he said. “Our target this season will be top 3. We don’t want to keep the mind-set of maintaining the ranking because we have what it takes to be the world No. 1 as well. It will need consistency.”
The qualification for the Paris Olympics starts in May and Chirag said they will look to seal their Olympic berth in the first half of the season.
“If we can do that in the first half then we really will be able to focus on big events such as the World Championships, Asian Games and the World Tour Finals,” he said. “Since the number of events will be more, we will send entries for the 500 and above events. If we do well in the first two events, we will skip the next to give rest to our bodies.”
Here’s everything you need to know about their Malaysia Open Badminton Semifinal Match
When will Chirag Shetty And Satwiksairaj Rankireddy play their men’s doubles semifinal match?
The match will be played on January 14.
Where will Chirag Shetty And Satwiksairaj Rankireddy play their men’s doubles semifinal match?
The contest will be held at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
What time Chirag Shetty And Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s men’s doubles semifinal match starts?
The match is expected to start around 4 PM (IST).
Which TV channels will broadcast Chirag Shetty And Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s men’s doubles semifinal match in India?
The matches are being broadcast on Sports 18 1 and Sports 18 1 HD.
How can you live stream Chirag Shetty And Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s men’s doubles semifinal match in India?
It can be streamed live on Voot Select App.
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