Badminton: Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty become the first Indian pair to reach the Malaysia Open final

Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became the first Indian doubles pair to reach the Malaysia Open final after beating Seo Seung Jae and Kang Min Hyukdished of Korea in straight games in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

The number two ranked Badminton pair in the world avoided 6 game points in the second game and won 8 straight points to defeat the current world champions by 21-18 and 22-20.

Results at the Malaysia Open will count towards players' qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The match unfolded with brisk and concise rallies, where Satwik and Chirag demonstrated superior anticipation and execution, taking an early 9-5 lead in the opening game.

Despite a brief setback caused by a couple of long shots, the Indian pair showcased clever stroke play, allowing the Koreans to take only four straight points. Chirag's exceptional return and skilled play at the net provided the Indians with a two-point advantage at the break.

The Koreans managed to narrow the lead to 12-13, capitalizing on some weak returns from the Indians. However, Satwik and Chirag pulled away again, reaching 17-13 with a thunderous smash from Satwik and a well-placed flick serve from Chirag.

Seo attempted a flick serve to set up a point but went wide twice, granting four game points to the Indians. Although they wasted two opportunities, Seo ultimately hit one into the net, giving the first game to Satwik and Chirag.

Also Read: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy win the Khel Ratna Award; Md. Shami and 25 others win Arjuna Award

In the second game, Seo and Kang exhibited a more alert defence and focused on precise placements, dominating the flat exchanges to lead 9-4. Despite some fast-paced rallies, the Korean pair maintained an 11-6 lead at the interval.

While Seo looked dominant in the first game, Kang took charge in the second. The Koreans quickly surged to a 17-11 lead as the Indians appeared slightly subdued. Chirag made a few errors, and the Koreans secured six game points, seemingly on the brink of forcing a third game.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, down 14-20, Satwik and Chirag displayed remarkable composure as the Koreans became overly cautious and made several errors, ultimately hitting into the net multiple times.

In a stunning comeback, the Indians regained their touch and scored eight consecutive points, leaving the Koreans stunned and clinching the victory.

Satwik and Chirag's resilience in this match reflects their impressive performances throughout the previous year, including victories in the Asian Games, titles in the Asian Championship, Indonesian Super 1000, Korea Super 500, and Swiss Open Super 300. They also reached the finals of the China Masters Super 750 in November.

They will now take on the winner of the match between world No. 1 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang of the People's Republic of China and Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan on Sunday in the Malaysia Open 2024 final.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 😍😍



First Indians to enter Malaysia Open final, well done boys! 👏



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— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) January 13, 2024