Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reigned supreme on Sunday, winning the Thailand Open Super 500 title. They won in straight games, against China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi. Satwiksairaj and Chirag, who are ranked world no. 3, sealed 21-15 21-15, in what was a tightly-contest encounter.
It was also the Indian pair’s second title of the season, after their French Open Super 750 title in March. They were also runners-up at Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750.
Speaking after the win, Satwiksairaj said, “It has been a lucky tournament for us. The journey started from here. We lifted this title in 2019 and again we are lifting it here now. After 2019, we went on to win many tournaments and, hopefully, it will give more boost to us in the upcoming important tournaments.”
“They keep on playing fast and we knew we couldn’t relax. Overall, I think it’s the best match we played throughout the tournament. We kept everything calm and under control. So really happy that we played well,” he added.
Satwiksairaj and Chirag began the first game with a 5-1, before their opponents staged a comeback. At 7-7, the Chinese pair won a 39-shot rally and surged ahead to 10-7 before spraying one long. Liu and Chen played a few intense rallies but Chirag unleashed a bullet return to draw level at 10-10 but Liu ensured they had a slender edge at the break.
Satwik and Chirag moved to 14-11 after resumption before Satwik sliced one to net. The Indians extended the lead to 16-12. Liu sent a lob over Satwik’s head to set up a point, while Chirag sprayed into net as the Chinese kept snapping at their heels.
However, the Indians soon grabbed five game points with Satwik sending one to the corner and then dishing out another superb service which the Chinese could only bury into the net.
The Indians made a solid 8-3 start after the change of sides and maintained the five-point cushion at the interval when the Chinese dumped one into the net.Chen and Liu registered three straight points but Satwik broke the run of play with an aggressive return. At 15-11, Satwik received warning for delaying the game and with Chirag overhitting twice, Chen and Liu moved to 14-15.
But the Indians dashed any hopes of a mutiny with Chirag setting up a point with a fine placement and Satwik providing the finishing touch as they moved to 17-15. Satwik then unleashed a barrage of smashes to grab five match points.
The Chinese sent Chirag’s smash into the net. As part of celebrations, Satwik broke into a dance with his racquet, while Chirag threw his shirt into the crowd.
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