India's leading men's doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships on Wednesday after receiving a walkover from Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle.
The fifth-seeded Indians were scheduled to face the Scottish pair in their round-of-32 encounter at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium but progressed without taking the court after their opponents withdrew.
Satwik and Chirag had received a bye in the opening round and were therefore yet to play a match at this year's championships when their passage into the last 16 was confirmed.
Dunn injury forces withdrawal
The walkover followed an injury suffered by Dunn earlier in the day during his mixed doubles match.
Dunn was partnering Julie Macpherson against Thailand's second-seeded pair of Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai when he hurt his right ankle.
The Scottish combination was trailing 8-18 when the injury occurred. Dunn's condition subsequently forced him and Pringle to pull out of their scheduled men's doubles contest against the Indians.
The withdrawal means Satwik and Chirag have reached the round of 16 without playing a competitive point at the tournament, giving the pair additional recovery and preparation time before the business end of the competition.
Third medal in sight
The Indian pair are chasing a third World Championships medal after winning bronze in Tokyo in 2022 and adding another bronze in Paris last year.
Their 2022 medal was historic as they became the first Indian men's doubles combination to reach the podium at the World Championships.
They followed it with another strong campaign in 2025, reaching the semifinals before losing a three-game contest to China's Chen Boyang and Liu Yi.
The two have since arrived at the home World Championships as one of India's strongest medal prospects despite Satwik dealing with a recurring shoulder problem in the build-up to the competition. The Indian shuttler recently acknowledged that the injury had been frustrating but maintained that the pair would continue with their aggressive style of play.
Home campaign gathers pace
The duo have been among the leading figures in India's rise in men's doubles over recent years.
Apart from their two World Championships bronze medals, Satwik and Chirag have won the Asian Games gold, the Asian Championships title and Commonwealth Games gold, while also reaching the top of the world rankings during their partnership.
Their progress into the pre-quarterfinals came on a mixed day for the Indian contingent in New Delhi.
Mixed doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also booked their place in the round of 16 with a commanding 21-11, 21-11 victory over Macau's Leong Iok Chong and Ng Weng Chi.
Lakshya Sen, however, suffered a surprise second-round defeat against American Garret Tan, while Unnati Hooda's debut campaign ended after a close three-game loss to Canada's Michelle Li. Men's doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun were also eliminated by South Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju. Ayush Shetty advanced with a comfortable straight-game victory over Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama.
For Satwik and Chirag, the unusual start means their World Championships campaign will effectively begin in the pre-quarterfinals. Having secured medals at each of their last two appearances at the tournament, the Indian pair will now look to make the advantage of extra rest count as they pursue a third successive podium finish.