Indonesia Open: Star Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday created history as they became the first Indian pair to win a Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open. Satwik and Chirag were underdogs against world champion Aaron Chia and Malaysia’s Soh Wooi Yika, but they pulled off an emphatic straight-game win over their rival. The Indians won by a margin of 21-17, 21-18.
Chirag and Satwik had faced world champions Chia and Soh eight times before this encounter and lost on every occasion. But he turned the tables in his favor in this crucial game to claim his maiden Super 1000 title.
Chirag-Satwik’s Elite Collection
Chirag and Satwik now have a distinguished collection of titles. He has won Super 100, Super 300, Super 500, Super 750 and now Super 1000. He has also won CWG Gold, Thomas Cup Gold, World Bronze.
Chirag and Satwik were trailing 3-7 in the first game before making a brilliant comeback. The match was tied at 9-9 before the Indians took the lead. They took a 10-9 lead and never relinquished it afterwards, winning the opening game 21-17.
The second game saw a neck-to-neck fight for the opening point. The Malaysian took a 1-0 lead before leveling the score at 3-3. It was tied 6-6 and then Satwik and Chirag leveled the game. They looked to win 11-7 and then 18-11 in no time. Chirag and Satwik eventually won the game 21-18.
India’s star pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the final of the Indonesia Open in Jakarta on Saturday as they made their first appearance in a Super 1000 summit clash. Seung Jae Seo of Korea and then came back to win the match in three games.