The day began on a great note for the Indian badminton contingent at the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Championships with the men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila advancing to the next stage of the tournament.
Playing on court one, the Indian duo made a sensational comeback after losing the first set to win the match 18-21, 21-15, and 21-16.
They faced a stern challenge from the Singaporean pair of KH Loh and H Terry throughout the match and had to really grind it to register a win they will cherish for years.
The first set was a tightly knit affair where the Singaporean pair capitalized on key moments, putting pressure on the Indian duo. They managed to edge past the Indians in the first set with a brilliant display of attacking shots.
Feeding on the winning momentum that the Indian shuttlers garnered in their past matches, the pair did not crack under pressure and bounced back with a stunning display of skills right through the second set to level the match.
In the deciding set, the pair built pressure right from the beginning, playing with great tactics and not giving away opportunities for their opponent to score. It seemed that the pair of Loh and Terry had run out of gas in the final set allowing the Indians to dominate. The Indians played beautifully at the backcourt accompanied by deft touches at the net to close out the set and the match.
Dhruv Kapila jumped with joy punching the air while his partner fell to the ground in excitement to celebrate the hard-fought victory.
The pair has now advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the tournament and will hope to continue their winning run to ensure a podium finish.
Another men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be in action against the Danish pair for a place in the quarterfinals.
Lakshya Sen will also square off against Prannoy HS for a berth in the quarterfinals.
