The premier Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Satwik-Chirag), who had previously held the No. 1 ranking in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) men’s doubles, have slipped to the third position. This comes after they pulled out of their title defence at the Indonesia Open last week.
Satwik-Chirag is no longer the No.1
Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open in May, which had helped them reclaim the No. 1 ranking. However, they suffered a loss of form and made a first-round exit from the Singapore Open last month. The pair has also pulled out of the ongoing Australian Open.
The new men’s doubles No.1s are China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, followed by Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, who jumped two places.
Srikanth is Out of the Top 30
In men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth has dropped four places to No. 32. This is a significant drop for the player who was once a prominent figure in the top 10 rankings. Other Indian players, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, have managed to remain inside the top 15, maintaining their 10th and 14th positions respectively.
#BWF World Ranking
June 11
Men's Singles pic.twitter.com/BeZ48dglW9— Niranjan Nareshan (@niranjan233) June 9, 2024
Implications and Future Prospects
The recent changes in rankings have significant implications for the players and the overall landscape of Indian badminton. For Satwik and Chirag, the loss of the No. 1 ranking is undoubtedly a setback. However, their past performances indicate their potential to bounce back. Their decision to pull out of recent tournaments may also suggest a strategic move to focus on recovery and training, which could strengthen their future performances.
For Srikanth, falling out of the top 30 is a considerable challenge. It may affect his seeding in future tournaments and could potentially lead to tougher early-round matches. However, it’s important to remember that rankings are a snapshot of current form and can change with consistent performances.
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