Aichi-Nagoya, 25 September (H.S.): Defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a major upset in the men’s doubles event at the 2026 Asian Games, bowing out in the opening round on Friday. Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeratsakul defeated the fourth-seeded Indian pair 12-21, 21-19, 21-14 in their Round of 32 match to eliminate them from the competition.

Satwik and Chirag made an impressive start to the contest. The Indian pair established an 11-5 lead in the opening game and maintained the pressure throughout to take it 21-12 in 20 minutes.

The Thai pair fought back in the second game. Sukphun and Teeratsakul moved ahead 8-7, but the Indians levelled the score at 8-8 and then at 11-11. The Thai players continued their aggressive approach and opened up a 17-14 lead. They eventually won the game 21-19 to force a decider.

Satwik and Chirag were unable to regain their early rhythm in the third game. The Thai pair built an 18-14 advantage through a series of aggressive rallies and closed out the deciding game 21-14 to complete the upset.

With the defeat, defending champions Satwik and Chirag’s men’s doubles campaign at the Asian Games came to an end in the opening round.

Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto Reach Quarter-finals

India’s Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the quarter-finals of the individual mixed doubles event. The Indian pair defeated Malaysia’s world No. 10 combination of Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie 22-20, 24-22 in a closely contested match.

Dhruv and Tanisha will face China’s world No. 1 pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in the quarter-finals on September 27.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar