India Open: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Clinch Men's Doubles Crown

Top Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated top-seeded Indonesian pair Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 21-16, 26-24 to win the men’s doubles crown at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open on Sunday.

Coming into the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, Satwik and Chirag dished out a brave effort against the Indonesian pair and staved off a fightback to reign supreme in the final.

From almost missing the tournament following a false COVID positive result to winning the title, life has come full circle for the Indian pair as they accumulated valuable ranking points ahead of a busy season, which comprises some big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Satwik and Chirag had won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, besides reaching the finals at French Open Super 750 the same year.

The duo also claimed the silver medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, besides winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and finishing runners-up at Syed Modi International in 2018.

Satwik and Chirag also played a crucial role in India earning the historic mixed team gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Indian pair also had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year but couldn’t cross the group stage despite winning two out of three games.

In other results, Hee Yong Kai Terry and Tan Wei Han of Singapore defeated Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Peck Yen Wei 21-15, 21-18 to win the mixed doubles final, as Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard of Thailand defeated Russia’s Anastasiia Akchurina and Olga Morozova 21-13, 21-5 to be crowned women’s doubles champions.

Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan won the women’s singles title defeating compatriot Supanida Katethong 22-20, 19-21, 21-13.

Lakshya Sen will face World Champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the men’s singles final. This is Sen’s maiden entry in the final of a BWF World Tour Super 500 event.

More to follow…