Badminton: SatChi’s Paris love affair continues
CHENNAI: The Arena Porte de la Chapelle will host badminton at the Paris Olympics. If you are an Indian sports fan, write the name down. For, one of their medals will likely come at this newly constructed multi-purpose in the city’s 18th arrondissement.
On Sunday, less than 140 days out from the above-mentioned Games, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty cantered to their first title of the season. In the process, the gun Indian pair continued their ever blossoming story in the City of Love. It was in Paris in 2019 where the pair first showcased what they were all about as they reached the final of the Super 750 event. It was their first at this level. In 2022, they won this event; again, their first at this level. Over the last two years, they have added other titles to an ever-expanding trophy cabinet.
Now, they have added another to that collection. The most impressive thing about the World No. 1 duo is the way they combine defence with attack. When they get on the rampage, teams — even World Championships medallists — can seldom stay with them.
This tournament has once highlighted that. Five matches, five straight games wins with their sternest test coming in the opening round when they ran into familiar opponents, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
One look at the scoreline will give you an enough impression of the stranglehold they had over their opponents: 21-13, 24-22, 21-13, 21-12, 21-19, 21-13, 21-13, 21-16, 21-11 and, finally, 21-17.
Up against the unseeded pairing of Lee Jhe-Huei/ Yang Po-Hsuan, it had looked like a procession. But they did face a tricky period when the Chinese Taipei duo had taken a small lead in the middle of the second stanza. But the Indians recalibrated and ran away with the match.