Satwik-Chirag pair signs off with bronze at World Championships
Paris (PTI): Top Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty signed off with a bronze medal after going down fighting to China's 11th seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the men's doubles semifinals of the World Championships here.
A day after assuring India of a medal, the former world No. 1 duo's bid to become the first Indian men's doubles pair to reach the final of a world championships fell short as they lost 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 in a 67-minute battle on Saturday evening.
This is the pair's second medal at the Worlds, having won a bronze in 2022.
On Friday, Asian Games champions Satwik and Chirag had stunned their nemesis, Malaysia's two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the quarterfinals to extend India's medal streak in the tournament, which began in 2011.
The Indians, however, could not break through the resolute defence of the Chinese pair, which retrieved relentlessly and countered with precision.
Satwik and Chirag had first clinched a world championships bronze in Tokyo in 2022, a year after narrowly missing out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Their second medal in the prestigious tournament also comes a year after an Olympic heartbreak at the Paris Games.
It also brought an end to India's campaign in the tournament.
"We didn't get really any rhythm. We didn't start off that well. We gave away easy points (in the third game). We should have been a bit smarter. But, credit to them. They served quite well, right from the start of the third game," Chirag said after the defeat.
"I think we could have made a few changes here and there, not really rush into the service, because they were also serving quite deep. But credit to them that they could put us out of place," he added.
On his part, Satwik said, "They played with much more confidence, like we did in the first matches. Their body language... they were enjoying a little more than us. In the first game, even though we were leading, they were just giving what they have. I think that's what we did in the previous matches.
"Today, I think we played really well in patches, it's all about confidence, how strong you are mentally."
Satwik and Chirag had the Chinese on the ropes in the opening game, racing to a 9-3 lead with relentless attack and sharp interceptions. But Chen and Liu, defending flat and retrieving everything thrown at them, clawed back.
Chirag went wide on game point and although the Indians saved two, a blistering smash from the Chinese sealed it 21-19.
Switching sides brought a fresh burst as the Indians surged ahead 5-1 with clever judgements aided by drift. Satwik's smashes and Chirag's quick net play forced high lifts that they dispatched ruthlessly.
But then nerves crept in. Chirag erred repeatedly at the net, and Satwik was faulted on serve, allowing the Chinese to level at 16 all. Satwik's venomous smash and a fortunate net chord helped them eke out a 21-18 win to force a decider.
The third game, however, was one-way traffic. Liu's flick serve unsettled Chirag time and again as the Chinese stormed to a 9-0 lead. At the change of ends, India trailed 3-11 and never recovered.
Satwik tried to inject some fire with booming smashes, but misjudgement and errors mounted. Chen and Liu converted their third match point when Satwik's drive went long, wrapping up the contest 21-12.
Summing up their campaign in the French capital, Chirag said, "This has been really good outing, played some good matches, beat players against whom we have not had good record in the previous matches.
"But, having said that, we couldn't play that final, but yeah, overall a good tournament."
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
