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India's Thomas Cup heroes Rankireddy, Shetty savour Asian triumph in Dubai
Rankireddy said winning the Asian Championships after being part of India's Thomas Cup-winning team is an incredible feeling
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty pose with their gold medals. — UAE Badminton Federation
After four one-sided finals on the final day of the Badminton Asia Championships, the packed Rashid bin Hamdan Hall in Al Nasr Club witnessed a riveting battle in the men’s doubles title decider.
In the end, it was India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty that jumped for joy amid a deafening noise from their supporters.
The talented pair staged a stirring fightback against Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi to end India's 58-year wait for a gold medal at the Asian championships and bring the latest piece of silverware to Indian badminton after the historic Thomas Cup win last year.
Rankireddy and Shetty's 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 victory came after Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia claimed his first gold and Chinese Taipei's superstar Tai Tzu-ying won her third title at the Asian championships with emphatic victories over Loh Kean Yew and An Se-young in the men's and women's singles finals.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia
Chinese Taipei's superstar Tai Tzu-ying
The women's doubles and mixed doubles final were also one-sided affairs, but the Sunday crowd finally got its money's worth when the finalists in the men's doubles decider produced a rip-roaring contest.
After conceding an 8-13 lead in the second game, having already lost the first, Rankireddy and Shetty turned their fortunes around, showing remarkable skills and spirit.
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty during the dramatic final
But Rankireddy admitted that they would not have been able to pull it off without the incredible support from the Indian fans.
"I think today we didn’t play alone, the crowd played with us. It felt like we were playing in Hyderabad. The crowd was amazing,” Rankireddy said.
"It was a bad start in the first and half of second game, but we didn’t give up. We kept our nerves; we know how to play these situations.
"So, we were waiting for the good rhythm and then take our chances. We were calmer in the second and third games.”
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The 22-year-old Rankireddy said winning the Asian Championships after being part of India's Thomas Cup-winning team is an incredible feeling.
“Personally for me, it will take a lot of time to believe that we are the Asian champions. I still don’t believe we are Thomas Cup champions," he said.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty celebrate the dramatic win
"It’s our dream to win for India and make the flag fly high. Good boost for us as we go into the Olympic qualification period.”
Men's doubles medals winners with officials.
Meanwhile, world number two Ginting needed just 28 minutes to beat Loh, the 2021 world champion, 21-12, 21-8 in the men's singles final.
Tzu-ying, who outplayed South Korean sensation Se-young 21-10, 21-14 in the women's singles final for her third gold medal at the Asian championships, revealed she was planning to skip this tournament.
“I haven’t played the Asian Championships for some time now. And I wasn’t planning initially to play, but when I learnt it was happening in Dubai, I planned to come because I have good memories in Dubai," said Tzu-ying who had won the BWF Super Series Finals in Dubai twice (2014, 2016).
Women's singles medallists: (From left) Runner-up An Se-young of South Korea, champion Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei, and bronze medallists Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Chen Yufei of China
In an all-Chinese mixed doubles final, Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin defeated Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong 21-15 21-16.
Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota clinched the women's doubles title with a 21-7 21-14 win over Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea.
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