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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will open their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign on Saturday, July 27. The World No. 3 pair will take on the host nation's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar.
Rankireddy and Shetty are placed in Group C, which includes France’s Corvee and Labar, Indonesia’s World No. 6 duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, as well as Germans Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel.
Going into the opening-round encounter against the Frenchmen, Rankireddy and Shetty will find themselves under a bit of pressure. The Indians lead the head-to-head count against their opponents 2-0 and are expected to walk away with an easy third win.
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The first time the third seeds faced the World No. 40 duo was in October 2023. Back then, the Indians took on Corvee and Labar in the opening round of the French Open, beating them 21-13, 21-13 in 35 minutes.
The next time the two pairs faced each other was a little over two months later when they clashed swords in the round of 16 at the Malaysia Open 2024. Mirroring their French Open encounter, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty got the better of their opponents yet again, this time in 39 minutes with a score of 21-11, 21-18.
For the World No. 3, they head into the Paris Olympics as India's brightest hope for a gold medal in badminton, and these easy early-stage matches should help them get acquainted with the courts of La Chapelle Arena to prepare for the knockouts.
Paris Olympics 2024: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to face Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel next
After their opening-round encounter against Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will get a day to rest, recover, and reflect on their match.
They will then take on Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel in their second group-stage match at noon on Monday, July 29.
The Indians’ last group-stage match will arguably be their toughest, as they will take on Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, the time for which is yet to be decided.
