Badminton: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty script history after reaching maiden Malaysia Open final

Indian badminton pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted history on Saturday (Jan 13) after they booked their place in the final of the ongoing Malaysia Open. Satwik-Chirag, recently honoured with the prestigious Khel Ratna award by the Government of India, became the first pair from the nation to reach the final of the prestigious tournament. They beat World No.3 South Korean pair of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae in straight games 21-18, 22-20 to reach Sunday’s final.

Chirag, Satwik start new year on a high

Playing in their first BWF tournament of 2024, Chirag and Satwik asserted their dominance from the start while they needed a battling second game to reach the summit clash. Racing away with a 5-0 early lead, the Koreans looked on the back foot from the start. However, they did win odd points to reduce the gap but could not reduce the deposit and handed the game. The Indian duo had a strong serve while breaching the opposition's defence on multiple occasions.

The South Korean pair then tried to make a strong comeback in the match and were on top for the majority of the second game. The World No. 3 pair had a lead of 18-12 at one stage and needed three points to pocket the game, however, Chirag-Satwik made an incredible comeback and saved a game point before winning on deuce.

Chirag-Satwik had excellent 2023

The pair had an excellent 2023 and was awarded Khel Ratna awards for winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October. They also won a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in February. Beating the Chinese pair of Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang in the final of the Swiss Open they won their first title as a pair while they also became the Asian Champion after winning the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships.

On Sunday they will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang and Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi. The Chinese pair is seeded number one while their Japanese counterparts are seeded number seven. The final will take place on Sunday while both Chirag and Satwik will then start their journey in the Indian Open on Tuesday.