Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty create history, enter Malaysia Open final
Jan 13, 2024
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], January 13 : India's star men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became the first Indian duo to reach the finals of the Malaysia Open as they defeated World No.3 South Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae in straight games 21-18, 22-20.
The Indian duo scripted a fantastic comeback in the second game and won 21-18, 22-20 against the reigning world champions.
Sat-Chi took an early 5-0 lead because of their offensive approach. The Koreans reduced the gap to one point, but the Indian badminton players maintained the edge. Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae saved two game points but could not prevent the Indians from seizing the vital advantage.
The Koreans showed greater ingenuity in the second game, reversing the flow in their favour. They used extended rallies to establish a five-point lead at halftime and appeared to be on track to tie with a 20-14 advantage.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, on the other hand, staged a remarkable comeback, saving six-game points against the rivals on their home turf. They confused the Koreans with rapid and flat returns and clinched the victory by winning the final eight points in a row.
This was the Indian pair's fourth victory against Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae in six encounters.
The Indians will 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, ranked seventh. The final will be played on Sunday.
