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On Friday evening, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history as they advanced to the badminton men's doubles finals at the 2023 Asian Games after a dominant victory over Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
India has only once previously medaled at the men's doubles event of the Asian Games, when Leroy D'Sa and Pradeep Gandhe claimed bronze at the 1982 games. This means that Rankireddy and Shetty have already cemented themselves in history as they are guaranteed at least a silver on Saturday.
The Indian men's doubles duo, who are seeded second in this tournament, have had an impressive run so far in Hangzhou. On Friday, they played one of their most impressive matches, disposing of the World No. 5 Malaysians in straight sets 21-17, 21-12.
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Asian Games 2023: Rankireddy/Shetty vs Choi/Kim - head-to-head and prediction
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have twice before faced their Korean rivals Choi Sol Gyu and Kim Won Ho. Both times, the Indians have emerged victorious.
In their last meeting, Rankireddy and Shetty beat Gyu and Ho 21-16, 21-13. This was back in January at the Malaysia Open 2023.
In terms of ranking, the Indians are currently third in the world. On the other hand, the Korean pair are the World No. 15 as of now, but have previously scaled the top 10.
Going into the Asian Games finals, a gold is a strong possibility for Rankireddy and Shetty. They hold the advantage of never having lost to their opponents.
Meanwhile, Choi and Kim got the better of 2020 Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin in their semifinal match.
Asian Games 2023: Where and when to watch
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face off against Choi Sol Gyu and Kim Won Ho on Saturday, October 7 in the finals of the Asian Games at Hangzhou.
You can catch live action on the Sony Sports network and the Sony LIV app.
The men's doubles is the third match of the day tomorrow, with the session starting at 11:30 am IST.
Match Details
Date - October 7
Round - Finals
Time - 2 pm IST (estimated)
Venue - Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China
