Rankireddy and Shetty eliminated in quarter-finals of BWF World Championships.

In a disappointing turn of events for Indian badminton, the highly regarded doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saw their aspirations for a third medal at the BWF World Championships come to an abrupt end. Competing in the quarterfinals held in New Delhi on Friday, the duo faced off against China's formidable pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, currently ranked third in the world. The match concluded in straight games, with the Indian team succumbing to a score of 18-21, 9-21 in just 36 minutes.

Rankireddy and Shetty, who previously secured bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 championships, struggled to find their rhythm against the Olympic silver medalists. Their performance fell short of expectations, leading to an early exit from the tournament and leaving fans disappointed.

In contrast to the men's team's fate, the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand celebrated a significant victory earlier in the day. The unseeded duo staged a remarkable comeback against China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in their quarterfinal match. After dropping the first game 16-21, Jolly and Gopichand rallied to win the next two games, finishing with scores of 21-15 and 21-13, respectively. This hard-fought victory, which lasted one hour and nine minutes, secured their place in the semifinals and guaranteed them at least a bronze medal.

This achievement marks a notable moment for Indian women's doubles badminton, as the last medal in this category was won in 2011 by the duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who also claimed bronze in London. The current success of Jolly and Gopichand reflects a promising resurgence in Indian badminton, particularly in women's doubles, as they aim to build on this momentum in the upcoming matches.