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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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.
