Satwik-Chirag Vs Liang-Wang Highlights, BWF World Tour Finals: Indians Bow Out In See-Saw Semi-Final - As It Happened

Good evening and welcome, everyone. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have kept their date with history by storming into the semi-finals of the BWF World Tour Finals, and take on China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in a repeat of their Group B encounter. Stay with us for the build-up and live updates.

There is one more match to go on Court 1 before Satwik-Chirag's semi-final, the last clash of the day, takes place. The Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty vs Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang match will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network TV channels in India. It will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in the country.

The world no. 3 pairing of Satwik-Chirag sealed their place in the last four with a spirited 17-21, 21-18, 21-15 comeback win over world No. 2 and Paris 2024 bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia. Satwik and Chirag recovered from the loss of the opening game to register a three-game victory, winning the second and third games with authority to finish as Group B toppers.

The result also carried added significance, as the Indian duo avenged their defeat to the Malaysians at the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

The preceding match, the first men's doubles semi-final, has concluded. That means it's time for Satwik and Chirag to take the court. The Indian duo enters the stage and so does the Chinese pairing. Knocking has begun and the match is coming up next.

The chair umpire calls time and that concludes knocking. The Chinese pair is serving first and Satwik is facing. Wang Chang with a shortish serve and quick exchanges lead to the Indians losing the point.

Liang and Wang have taken an early 4-1 lead in this semi-final, as Satwik and Chirag are unable to prevail in the short and swift first few rallies. having said that, the Indians wrest the serve back with a strong point, and later cut the gap down to 5-4.

Sat-Chi are in business! They earn five straight points to go from 3-6 to 8-6. Wang and Liang have some thinking to do, early in this encounter.

The points spree continues for the Indians, as they head into the mid-game interval with a handy 11-6 advantage. They have now won eight points in a row.

The Chinese come back strong from the break, claiming three straight points of their own to cut the deficit down to 11-9. Satwik-Chirag pull one back to maintain a three-point lead.

Chirag is making his presence felt in the front court with smart interceptions. The smashes are working well too, as the duo is in sync and not leaving much room for error. The lead stretches to 18-10!

It's domination personified from the former world number one Indian pairing in the first game as they shut out Liang and Wang completely. Satwik and Chirag take Game 1 by a massive 21-10 margin to stamp their authority in the first half of this semi-final.

Now for them to finish the job.

The Indians start the second game promisingly too. Chirag springs to his right to retrieve one and leads to the Chinese pairing committing an unforced error.

Wang Chang and Liang Wei Keng are defending more solidly in the second game, making the Indians hit far more smashes than they needed to in the first game. That has resulted in a lead for the Chinese, and a handsome one at that: 7-3.

Satwik-Chirag bounce back strongly. They clinch four straight points to draw level at 7-7 against the Chinese.

Wang and Liang display some lovely reactions in the 18th point to catch Chirag off-guard with a well-directed put-away. They eventually go into the mid-game interval with a two-point advantage at 11-9.

It is the Indians' turn to return energized from the mid-game interval as they wipe out the two-point deficit to draw level at 11-11. Another quick exchange of points leads to the score again being tied at 12-12. This is turning out to be an intense second game.

Satwik makes an uncharacteristic error on return of serve, and Chirag then is indecisive about whether to leave or lift a shuttle teetering close to the baseline. That hands the Chinese pair a three-point cushion.

The Indians claw their way back again, squaring the scoreline at 15-15 with a lucky net chord. To borrow a cliched line from sports commentary parlance, this game is going down to the wire.

Liang and Wang surge ahead with an 18-15 lead, before Chirag and Satwik unleash venomous smashes to make it 18-16. But the Chinese are relentless, placing a smash perfectly to inch closer to winning the second game.

Wang-Liang prove too strong in Game 2. Despite Sat-Chi's best efforts, they prevail 21-17 to force a deciding third game in this riveting semi-final. Buckle up for a thrilling finish.

The Indians fail to get going in the early exchanges of Game 3, as Liang-Wang surge to a 4-0 lead in the decider. Satwik and Chirag must regain their rhythm NOW, if they are to avoid conceding an insurmountable lead.

Satwik and Chirag appear to be losing the plot in the decider. They are unable to combat the Chinese pair's flick serves and are down 10-2 at the moment.

It has been one-way traffic so far in the decider as Liang-Wang race away to a huge 11-2 lead at the mid-game interval. This now is a herculean task for the Indians. You never know for sure in badminton or sport in general, but erasing this nine-point deficit will take nothing short of a miracle from Sat-Chi.

The Chinese grip strengthens upon resumption in the decider, as they jump to 13-2. Satwik and Chirag seemed almost invincible in Game 1, but are now looking deflated.

Satwik-Chirag try to pull something back with a couple of points, but the Chinese pair reasserts its dominance and has zoomed to a 17-6 lead. The Indians have their backs firmly against the wall.

Satwik-Chirag manage to delay the inevitable for a bit, but not long enough. They lose the third game 13-21 to go down 21-10, 17-21, 13-21 in the men's doubles semi-finals. The Indian duo's dream of entering the summit clash for a historic first time thus ends.