Indian Duo Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty Triumph in World Championships 2026

In a gripping match at the New Delhi World Championships 2026, Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King. Their victory not only secured a place in the quarterfinals but also highlighted their resilience after a shaky start. Meanwhile, PV Sindhu faced a tough exit, ending her hopes for a sixth World Championships medal. Discover more about the thrilling matches and the fate of other Indian shuttlers in this exciting tournament.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 20, 2026, 23:33 IST

Thrilling Comeback for Indian Men's Doubles Pair

New Delhi [India] - On August 20, India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showcased remarkable resilience, overcoming a challenging match against Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King. The Indian pair secured a hard-fought victory with scores of 21-23, 21-19, 21-17 in the men's doubles event at the New Delhi World Championships 2026.

The match lasted one hour and 22 minutes, allowing Satwik and Chirag to advance to the quarterfinals.

Initially, the Indian duo struggled to adapt to the drift in the stadium, having entered the tournament after receiving a couple of walkovers. They found themselves trailing by three points at the change of ends in the final game, with a score of 8-11. The Malaysian team extended their lead to 15-12, putting the Indian pair under significant pressure.

However, demonstrating their fighting spirit, Satwik and Chirag managed to turn the match around, ultimately winning the final game 21-17, which ignited jubilant celebrations among the home crowd.

This victory followed earlier defeats for Indian shuttlers Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu on the same day.

With this win, Satwik and Chirag joined Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand as the only Indian pairs to reach the quarterfinals of the New Delhi World Championships 2026.

In a contrasting outcome, PV Sindhu, a five-time World Championships medallist, exited the tournament after a tough match against China's Wang Zhi Yi in the women's singles pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu lost 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 in an intense 88-minute battle at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, despite strong support from the home crowd.

This defeat marked the end of Sindhu's quest for a historic sixth World Championships medal and broke her unbeaten record against Chinese players at this event, having previously won all eight encounters.

Earlier in the day, Ayush Shetty also faced elimination in the men's singles Round of 16, losing 19-21, 11-21 to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. Ayush, who had previously stunned World No. 1 Shi Yuqi, fought back from a 14-18 deficit to lead 19-18 in the first game but could not maintain his momentum. Alwi dominated the second game, concluding the match in approximately 45 minutes.

Additionally, Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda were eliminated in the second round on Wednesday, concluding India's singles campaign at the home World Championships. However, there was a silver lining as the women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the quarterfinals with a convincing 21-16, 21-12 victory over Japan's seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.

The world No. 39 Indian pair, returning to competition after Treesa's injury, is now just one win away from clinching a World Championships medal. Unfortunately, the mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto was eliminated earlier on Thursday, losing 16-21, 5-21 to China's Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui in the Round of 16.