Dubai: Star doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Sunday broke a 58-year-old drought, becoming the first Indians after Dinesh Khanna to be crowned champions at the Asia badminton Championships here.
The 2022 World Championships bronze medallists scripted a sensational comeback after an opening game reversal to edge past Malaysian combination of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-16, 17-21, 19-21 in a nail-biting final to accomplish a magnificent victory in the continental championship.
Khanna is the only Indian to claim the gold medal, having achieved the feat when he beat Thailand’s Sangob Rattanusorn in men’s singles final in 1965 at Lucknow.
India’s previous best performance in men’s doubles at the Asia Championships was a bronze-medal finish by Dipu Ghosh and Raman Ghosh in 1971.
PTI
