Picture Credit: X
The World No. 2 men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty from India failed to qualify through to the BWF World Tour Finals despite having a highly impressive 2023 season on the badminton circuit. As a result of this, there will be no Indian player at the prestigious BWF competition for the first time in 13 years.
Also Read: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty reclaim second spot in BWF latest rankings
But why are Satwik-Chirag not going to take part in the BWF World Tour Finals after winning the Asian Games 2023 gold and securing the World No. 1 ranking. As per the Bridge, the reason is simple. They are ranked in 10th position in the Race to the BWF World Tour Finals, which is a separate ranking system to the world rankings.
As per this ranking system, November 21 was the cut-off date for qualification to the BWF World Tour Finals, when Satwik-Chirag were ranked in 13th place after they made five first and four second-round exits this season. Therefore, the World No. 2 men’s doubles pair had to miss out on the prestigious badminton competition, which will have only the top eight pairs eligible to play.
Satwik-Chirag finish as runners-up at the China Masters Super 750
After the cut-off for qualification to the BWF World Tour Finals passed, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished their 2023 season on a relative high with runners-up finish at the China Masters Super 750. They lost the gruelling final in three close games against the current World No. 1 pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China by 19-21, 21-18, 19-21.
