Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in action. (Express Photo)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have never been deterred by challenging draws, knowing how to beat every top pair on the circuit. But their group-stage exit at the Tokyo Olympics, despite being good enough to beat the eventual champions, did add some curiosity to how they would start out at Paris, while chasing a highly probable medal.
Placed in Group C, they drew Indonesian Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto as their likely first test against a top pairing before the knockouts begin. The French pairing of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar and Germans Marks Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel are the other two combinations they will need to beat to top the pool.
But getting the better of the Indonesians, the reigning All England champions, can be a confidence-booster, though Tokyo was a reminder that a group-stage loss – like for Taiwanese Wang Chi Lin and Lee Yang – doesn’t stop a march to a gold medal.
The men’s doubles draw will see Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 🇮🇳 and Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto 🇮🇩 face off in the group stage.#Olympics #Paris2024
More 👉https://t.co/vglSyThbguhttps://t.co/T490RGoPqf
— BWF (@bwfmedia) July 15, 2024
Of immense relief on the day of the delayed draw was avoiding getting into Group D, which turned treacherous with every draw of lots. Danish Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen had made a late charge at reaching World No.2, which put them in Group D.
Calculation errors by the BWF saw Frenchmen Corvee and Labar head to the sports arbitration courts, so the men’s doubles draw had to accommodate 17 pairs at the last minute. Group D turned out to be the group with five pairings, while the others had four.
China’s second-best pairing, the very capable Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi, then slotted into Group D. They would be followed by defending champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin, who remain dangerous three years since their title. But their luck would begin to look really dreadful after Tokyo bronze medallists, Japan’s best pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, also made their way into Group D from where only the top 2 advance into the quarterfinals.
Not only do they play a match extra, this flock also has the toughest opponents to parry off from the get-go.
Americans Winson Chiu and Joshua Yuan, the fifth team debuting at the Olympics, might well feel like hapless volunteers, packed in with the four pedigreed pairings. Any win from them will draw loud chuckles and appreciation in this group.
Group B with Koreans Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk seemed the softest of landings, with the Popov brothers and Thais Jomkoh-Kedren.
Top-ranked Chinese Lian Weikeng and Wang Chang were grouped with 2022 world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. Though both are expected to advance, the Malaysians can land early blows on the top seeds, to announce their contention.
A fresh draw post the group stages will determine the quarterfinal match-ups. So, Satwik-Chirag can carry on their preparations, scheming for pretty much any of the top names. Men’s doubles gold at Paris has five seriously equal contenders, and then some. Indonesians Alfian-Ardianto are suitably tricky to kick off the Indians’ journey towards a coveted gold.
