Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the Korea Open by defeating the top-ranked Indonesian duo in the men’s doubles final.
In the men’s doubles final, world no. 1 Indonesian duo were defeated by Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy 17-21, 21-13, 21-14 to win the Korea Open Super 500 badminton championship. Following a loss in the first set, the Indian team made impressive strides to defeat the top seeds, Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian. The world-class Chinese pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, ranked second in the world, were defeated by the Indian couple in a thrilling straight-game match on Saturday, sending them into the championship round. In a 40-minute match at the Jinnam stadium, the third-ranked Indian team defeated the second-seeded Chinese pair by scores of 21-15 and 24-22. After two losses against the Chinese pair previously, Satwik and Chirag finally defeated them.
The Indians appeared a touch hesitant at first as they fell behind in the first game, but they rallied in the last minutes, cutting a 10-19 deficit to six points with a six-point run before losing.
But they gained momentum in the second game and then took control of the rest of the game to win.
To take an early 4-2 lead, the Indonesians played fast, flat rallies. The Indians were forced back because Alfian and Ardianto prevented their enemies from mounting an attack.
Additionally, mistakes started to occur as Satwik and Chirag allowed their opponents to lead by seven points at the half.
The Indonesians moved ahead to 16-7 after Ardianto slammed one into the centre, despite the Indians scoring a few quick points.
The Indonesians increased their lead to 19-11 on another down-the-middle slam from Ardianto. Prior to playing an intense rally that resulted in the Indonesians scoring, Satwik and Chirag won the following three points.
Satwik’s thunderous leap smash reduced the margin to three points, but he missed, giving the Indonesians four game points.
Before Satwik smacked one into the net, the Indians rescued one with Chirag’s cross-court return.
The two couples engaged in some delicious rallies to get the second game off to an even keel. As they began to control the rallies, the Indians increased the intensity and speed of their play.
After a Chirag interception, the Indians took a narrow 6-4 lead, which they held onto until 10-8 when Satwik launched his signature smash.
The Indonesians’ wide shot gave the Indian team a three-point lead at the break.
They reached a score of 17-11 thanks to Chirag’s cross-court return from the front court.
In no time, Satwik and Chirag had amassed nine game points. Before Chirag sent one through the middle to force a third-round match, they wasted two opportunities.
The third game, which Satwik and Chirag appeared to be in charge of, saw them eke out a 9-6 advantage before leading 11-8 at halftime.
The world’s top pair was put under pressure by the Indians because they were more aggressive.
An interception by Chirag after the restart allowed the Indians to hold onto their three-point lead at 13-10. Nothing was working well for Alfian and Ardianto, who appeared to be pale shadows.
The flat exchanges were likewise dominated by Satwik and Chirag, and soon the Indians led 18–12. Alfian hit an excellent backhand return, but he blasted the next one into the net, giving the Indians seven match points.
They lost one before winning the next, then they celebrated by breaking out into a gangnam dance.
Satwik and Chirag have amassed a number of victories since their alliance, including the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, the Thomas Cup gold, the bronze medal at the World Championships, and victories in the Super 300 (Syed Modi and Swiss Open), Super 500 (Thailand and India Open), Super 750 (French Open), and Indonesia Open Super 1000.
Six tiers make up the BWF World Tour: World Tour Finals, four Super 1000s, six Super 750s, seven Super 500s, and eleven Super 300s.
The BWF Tour Super 100 level is another division of the competition that awards ranking points.
