Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty eliminated in first round of Asian Games 2026

Reigning men's doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were knocked out in the opening round of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi–Nagoya on Friday, September 25. They lost 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s Pakkapan Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun, who are ranked world No. 36.

Rankireddy and Shetty entered the tournament as the fourth seed and were defending champions in the men’s doubles event. The pair had won gold at Hangzhou 2022 and were regarded as one of India’s leading medal hopefuls at the Aichi–Nagoya Games. Their defeat ended their bid to retain the Asian Games title. The loss represented a major setback for India’s badminton contingent at the event.

The Indian duo began strongly, taking the first game 21-12 in 20 minutes. Teeraratsakul and Sukphun responded in the second, winning 21-19 after 24 minutes to level the match. The Thai pair secured the deciding game 21-14 in 19 minutes. The contest finished in one hour and eight minutes and was described in reports as one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

In mixed doubles action, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Malaysia’s Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie 22-20, 24-22. The win put the Indian duo into the last eight of the mixed doubles draw at the Asian Games. Kapila and Crasto overcame tight scorelines in both games to progress.

Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will face world No. 1 Feng Yang Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China in the mixed doubles quarter-finals on Sunday, September 27.