Satwik-Chirag Reach World Championships 2026 Quarterfinals

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the Badminton World Championships 2026 after defeating Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 on Thursday.

The Indian pair recovered from a narrow opening-game loss to keep their campaign alive in a tense three-game contest. Their win provided a positive finish to a day that also brought singles exits for PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty.

Rankireddy and Chirag now move into the last eight of the men’s doubles draw, with the victory keeping India’s challenge going at the championships.

Rankireddy and Chirag overturn tight opening-game setback

The contest was close from the outset. Rankireddy and Chirag held an 18-16 lead in the first game, but Arif and Yap came back to take it 23-21. The Indian duo had been within reach of claiming the opener but could not close it out.

They responded in the second game, which was again decided by fine margins. Rankireddy and Chirag won 21-19 to level the match and force a deciding game.

The decider remained tight as the Indian pair trailed 13-15. They recovered to take control of the closing stages and completed the comeback with a 21-17 third-game win. The result sent them through to the quarterfinals after a match in which all three games were closely contested.

The men’s doubles result was especially significant after India’s singles players were eliminated earlier in the day. Ayush Shetty lost to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the men’s singles Round of 16, with Farhan winning 21-19, 21-11. Ayush had fought back to level the opening game at 18-18 after trailing 16-12, but Farhan took the first game before establishing control in the second.

Sindhu’s women’s singles campaign ends

PV Sindhu was also knocked out after a three-game match against Wang Zhi Yi. Wang won the opening game 21-11, but Sindhu responded with a 21-15 victory in the second to take the contest into a decider.

Sindhu made a strong start to the third game, leading 7-3 before Wang levelled at 9-9. Sindhu held a narrow 11-10 advantage at the interval, but the contest remained in the balance. At 16-16, the live coverage reported an injury scare for Wang, who continued after appearing to struggle.

A 54-shot rally later left Sindhu trailing 17-19. Wang then moved to three match points after Sindhu found the net, and Wang closed out the match to advance to the semifinals. The final-game score was not provided in the live updates.

Sindhu had been seeking a sixth medal at the World Championships. The source noted her previous medals as gold in 2019, silver in 2017 and 2018, and bronze in 2013 and 2014. Her defeat ended India’s hopes of a women’s singles medal at this edition.

India’s remaining campaign continues in doubles

With Ayush eliminated in men’s singles and Sindhu out in women’s singles, Rankireddy and Chirag’s recovery against Arif and Yap became the key Indian result from the day’s action. Their 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 win has placed them in the quarterfinals and ensured that India remains represented in the tournament.

The pair will take forward the momentum from a comeback built on two narrow game wins after the opening setback. For the Indian contingent, the quarterfinal place offers an important opportunity following the singles exits.