PETALING JAYA: Third time proved to be the lucky charm for India’s world No. 4 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, who delivered a power-packed performance to stun South Korea’s world No. 1 duo Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae and book their place in the Singapore Open final.
Yesterday, Satwiksairaj-Chirag were in excellent form as they sealed a 21-19, 21-18 win over the top pair in a 52-minute semi-final clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
In their third meeting against the reigning world champions, the Indian duo finally got the better of their opponents, combining composure with controlled aggression to register their first-ever victory over Won-ho-Seung-jae.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag have previously lost to them in straight games at the Malaysian Open and China Masters last year.
The win ended their losing streak against Won-ho-Seung-jae and sent them into the final with a commanding statement performance.
With this result, Satwiksairaj–Chirag also created history by becoming the first Indian men’s doubles pair to reach the final of the Singapore Super 750 tournament, underlining their continued rise among the elite pairs on the world circuit.
This marks their second consecutive final appearance, following their run to the Thailand Open final two weeks ago, where they finished runners-up to Indonesia’s newly formed pair Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin.
They will now head into the final brimming with confidence after taking down the world No. 1 pair in convincing fashion, where they will meet Indonesia’s world No. 3 Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri.
The Indonesian pair secured a commanding 23-21, 21-4 win over China’s world No. 5 Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in another semi-final match.
