Satwik and Chirag stun world champions to enter Singapore Open final
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in straight games to enter the Singapore Open Super 750 final. The Indian pair fought back strongly in both games to secure their first win over the Koreans
Hyderabad: India’s top men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty knocked off world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of Korea in straight games to reach the final of the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Indian pair registered their first victory over the Korean duo in three meetings, winning the semifinal clash 21-19, 21-18 in 52 minutes to reach their second World Tour final of the year.
The 2025 World Championships bronze medallists had finished runners-up at the Thailand Open earlier this year.
In the semifinal on Saturday, Satwik and Chirag fought back after conceding early leads in both games against the Koreans.
The Indian combination trailed 8-13 and then 13-17 in the opening game but held its nerve under pressure to clinch the game.
“When we were down, we kept calm and backed ourselves because we knew if we stuck to our plan, they would crack at some point,” Chirag said.
The second game also saw the Indians trailing 11-14 before they clinched six straight points to take a 17-14 lead and then maintained that advantage to reach the final.
On facing Kim/Seo, Chirag added: “They have the best defence on the circuit right now. We knew we had to stay calm and steady, especially when attacking.”
Satwik and Chirag will now face the winners of the second semifinal between fifth seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexander Boe of Denmark and China’s Gao Jia Xuan and Wei Ya Xin.
Meanwhile, the challenge of Indian mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto ended in the semifinals after a 16-21, 21-17, 13-21 loss to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.
