Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty script history once again after World Championship bronze, become first Indian pair to win Indonesia Open

Satwik and Chirag became the first Indian pair to win a Super 1000 event as they defeated Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yika of Malaysia in straight games.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty script history once again after World Championship bronze, become first Indian pair to win Indonesia Open

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Image via The Bridge Twitter)

The Indian badminton men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty achieved a historic feat on Sunday as they won the Gold medal at the 2023 Indonesia Open. Satwik and Chirag became the first Indian pair to win a Super 1000 event as they defeated Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yika of Malaysia in straight games in the summit clash of the men’s doubles category. 

This historic win comes on the back of a Commonwealth Games Gold and World Championship Bronze. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated their Malaysian counterpart 21-17, 21-18 in 43 minutes. Earlier, the World No.6 pair had pulled off a sensational comeback in the semifinal, winning it  17-21, 21-19 21-18 against the Korean combination of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae.

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Despite taking time to get off the blocks, Satwik and Chirag managed a 9-7 lead as the Indian pair secured six points on the trot. They then capitalized on the momentum and went on to secure the first set 21-17.

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Stawik and Chirag leave no scope for a comeback

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (in background) celebrate Indonesia Open win (Image via BWF website)

After comprehensively clinching the first game, the Indian pair of Satwik and Chirag carried over the aggression in the second game. Although the Malaysian pair tried to match their Indian counterpart initially in the second game, Satwiksairaj and Chirag’s impressive shot selection and quick reflexes never allowed Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yika to stage a comeback.

This was Satwik and Chirag’s sixth title on the 2023 BWF World Tour. The Indian pair last won a title at the Swiss Open Super 300 tournament in March. Now, coming into the Indonesia Open, Stawik and Chirag did not have the momentum considering they crashed out of the Singapore Open. However, the men’s doubles pair bounced back well and never let their guard down throughout the course of the tournament.

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