Thailand Open: Satwik-Chirag complete comeback win to enter 1st final of season
Thailand Open: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty completed a sensational comeback win over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin to make it to their first final of the season. The Indian star duo won a three-game thriller to make it to the summit clash of the Thailand Open on Sunday, May 16
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty put behind all the media storm behind them and made their way to their first final of the season with a stunning comeback win over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin on Sunday, May 16. The Indian duo secured a 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 win over the Malaysian pairing to make it to the final of the Thailand Open.
A lot of talk coming into the tournament was about the pair and their comments after the Thomas Cup bronze medal win, where they claimed that no due credit was being given to them and their achievements. But on Sunday, there was no doubt about their talent or resilience as they fought their way back from adversity to make it to their third final, having won the tournament in 2019 and 2024.
Satwik-Chirag came into the contest as India's last hope in the Thailand Open following the exits of PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Indian duo had a 7-2 lead in their head-to-head with Goh and Izzudin, but it was the Malaysian pair that quickly took a 3-1 lead in the first game. Sat-Chi were able to tie things up quickly and it seemed like there was nothing to separate both sides as it was level at 7-7.
But this is when there were a few signs of miscommunication between Satwik and Chirag as there was a point when both men left a shot for each other and conceded a point. Goh and Izzudin took advantage of this and took a three-point lead heading into the break.
They quickly extended this to 18-12 and seemed like they were going to comfortably take home the game. This is when the Indian duo dug deep and made it a proper contest, going on a four-point winning streak.
But the story of the first game was always Sat-Chi making a comeback and the Malaysian duo keeping them at bay. This trend continued till the end and they took home the first game.
The crowd in the arena was loud, egging on both teams, as the second game was once again a see-saw battle with no one ready to give their opponents an inch. Fei and Izzudin looked like they had the advantage with an early two-point lead, but the resilience from Sat-Chi was out on full display.
No longer was there any miscommunication between them and they took the lead with a four-point run, which culminated in them taking a 11-9 advantage into the break.
After the break, the Malaysian duo upped the ante and regained the lead but Satwik and Chirag were able to get their rhythm back and took a three-point lead, aiming to seal the second game. But there was space for some more drama to the contest and Fei and Izzudin dug deep to level the game at 20-20, saving two game points.
This was the first time that these two teams had gone into extra points during their matches and fans could feel that energy in the arena. What followed was a sensational rally filled with great defence and some precise shots.
Satwik, however, was able to make that decisive move as his shot was wide of both the Malaysian aces. From there, Sat-Chi levelled the match up, pushing it into the decider.
The final game started much like the first two. No clear advantage for anyone and intense shots all across the court.
But Sat-Chi was able to end that pattern and then dominated their Malaysian counterparts with a six-point run to take a 11-5 lead into the break. They quickly made it 16-8 and it seemed like the game was all set to be wrapped up.
But then Fei and Izzudin found a second wind to their game and cut the deficit down to four. Sat-Chi once again showed that resilience was their calling card and broke the streak and saw off the game to book their spot in the final.
Satwik-Chirag will face either Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia or the Chinese duo of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty put behind all the media storm behind them and made their way to their first final of the season with a stunning comeback win over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin on Sunday, May 16. The Indian duo secured a 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 win over the Malaysian pairing to make it to the final of the Thailand Open.
A lot of talk coming into the tournament was about the pair and their comments after the Thomas Cup bronze medal win, where they claimed that no due credit was being given to them and their achievements. But on Sunday, there was no doubt about their talent or resilience as they fought their way back from adversity to make it to their third final, having won the tournament in 2019 and 2024.
Satwik-Chirag came into the contest as India's last hope in the Thailand Open following the exits of PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Indian duo had a 7-2 lead in their head-to-head with Goh and Izzudin, but it was the Malaysian pair that quickly took a 3-1 lead in the first game. Sat-Chi were able to tie things up quickly and it seemed like there was nothing to separate both sides as it was level at 7-7.
But this is when there were a few signs of miscommunication between Satwik and Chirag as there was a point when both men left a shot for each other and conceded a point. Goh and Izzudin took advantage of this and took a three-point lead heading into the break.
They quickly extended this to 18-12 and seemed like they were going to comfortably take home the game. This is when the Indian duo dug deep and made it a proper contest, going on a four-point winning streak.
But the story of the first game was always Sat-Chi making a comeback and the Malaysian duo keeping them at bay. This trend continued till the end and they took home the first game.
The crowd in the arena was loud, egging on both teams, as the second game was once again a see-saw battle with no one ready to give their opponents an inch. Fei and Izzudin looked like they had the advantage with an early two-point lead, but the resilience from Sat-Chi was out on full display.
No longer was there any miscommunication between them and they took the lead with a four-point run, which culminated in them taking a 11-9 advantage into the break.
After the break, the Malaysian duo upped the ante and regained the lead but Satwik and Chirag were able to get their rhythm back and took a three-point lead, aiming to seal the second game. But there was space for some more drama to the contest and Fei and Izzudin dug deep to level the game at 20-20, saving two game points.
This was the first time that these two teams had gone into extra points during their matches and fans could feel that energy in the arena. What followed was a sensational rally filled with great defence and some precise shots.
Satwik, however, was able to make that decisive move as his shot was wide of both the Malaysian aces. From there, Sat-Chi levelled the match up, pushing it into the decider.
The final game started much like the first two. No clear advantage for anyone and intense shots all across the court.
But Sat-Chi was able to end that pattern and then dominated their Malaysian counterparts with a six-point run to take a 11-5 lead into the break. They quickly made it 16-8 and it seemed like the game was all set to be wrapped up.
But then Fei and Izzudin found a second wind to their game and cut the deficit down to four. Sat-Chi once again showed that resilience was their calling card and broke the streak and saw off the game to book their spot in the final.
Satwik-Chirag will face either Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia or the Chinese duo of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
