Satwik-Chirag pair stuns nemesis Chia-Soh, assures India of World Championships medal
Paris (PTI): Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty assured India of a medal at the World Championships after defeating their nemesis, Malaysia's two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the men's doubles quarterfinals here.
A year after the heartbreak in Paris, where they lost to the same pair and missed out on an Olympic medal, the world No. 3 duo produced a commanding 21-12, 21-19 win in 43 minutes to avenge that loss and storm into the semifinals late on Friday night.
"Feeling really good. It was a rematch of sorts from the Olympics. And I think we finally got some redemption. It was the same court, same arena. A year back exactly. Olympics and now World Championships," Chirag said after the match.
"It's always a pleasure playing against them. We've always had some really tough battles. At the biggest of events. And really happy we could win today."
It will be Satwik and Chirag's second medal at the prestigious event after their 2022 bronze, extending India's streak of podium finishes at every edition since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa's breakthrough bronze in 2011.
The Asian Games champions will next face 11th seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China.
Asked if the Chinese will be underdogs, Satwik said: "Not at all. Playing semi-finals, no underdogs."
Chirag added: "Just like any other match that we played in this tournament. Take it one match at a time. They are a good, formidable pair. We played against them before. Really looking forward to tomorrow."
Only hours earlier, PV Sindhu's exit in the quarterfinals had denied India a medal in women's singles. By the time Satwik and Chirag walked onto the court, the weight of expectations was unmistakable against opponents who had repeatedly broken Indian hearts.
Chia and Soh had beaten the Indians in Singapore and China this year after crushing their Olympic medal dream in Paris last year.
On Friday night, however, the world No. 9 Indians turned the script on its head with a dominating show.
Chirag opened with a drive-serve winner before a 59-shot rally, the longest of the match, and ended with his thundering mid-court smash to put India 4-2 ahead. Satwik's booming serves and the pair's seamless rotation saw them reel off six straight points to lead 9-3.
The top seeds went into the mid-game interval 11-5 ahead after Satwik conjured a deft cross-lift. Chia and Soh managed to take another marathon 49-shot rally, but the Indians quickly wrested back the momentum.
From 15-8, the Indians tightened the screws. Chirag's sharp net play and Satwik's clever serve helped India keep things in grip.
Chirag then earned nine game points with a deceptive return and they sealed it with another aggressive return.
After the change of ends, the Indians dished out blistering attack to carry their momentum from the opening game, racing to a 10-5 lead with Satwik's sharp serves and Chirag's booming backcourt smashes setting the tone.
The Indians had a four-point advantage after Soh sprayed into the net.
Satwik and Chirag's ability to create those angled returns and vary the attack made life difficult for their rivals. Soh also struggled under pressure, leaking errors as India built a comfortable 17-12 cushion.
But the Malaysians, bronze-medallists in Tokyo, clawed back with a spectacular 41-shot exchange at 12-17. The Indians made it 18-14 with Chirag dazzling at the forecourt.
Then another long rally ensued at 15-19 that showcased their defensive grit as Chirag recovered after slipping to keep it going.
Aaron then controlled the pace and Soh finally found rhythm as a good return followed by Satwik's smash into the net helped the Malaysians narrow the deficit to 18-19, sending jitters through the Indian camp.
The Malaysians soon drew parity on Aaron's serve as Satwik miscued a return. They had won 8 of the last 10 points to make a comeback.
In the crunch, Chirag took charge at the net, killing a crucial exchange to grab a match point.
A quick drive serve from Satwik, and then it was over to Chirag at the backcourt, who sent down a couple of well-hit smashes. The second one sailed wide from Aaron's blade as India celebrated.
"In the second game, even when we were leading, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. We have played them many times before and every time we have won in straight games, it has gone neck and neck,” Satwik said.
"I just kept telling myself, 'don’t hurry for the point. Take it one point at a time'. I still believed we were in control and there was no need to panic. We had only given away a few points and I could sense they were under pressure.
"We just wanted to play our A game and see where it takes us. From the first match of the tournament, we have been focusing only on ourselves and not on the opponents. I'm really happy with the way we played today.”
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Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
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This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
