NEW DELHI: Bangkok has always been a very special place for ace doubles shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. It was the Thailand Open title in 2019 that propelled the world No.4 to the elite circles of men’s doubles badminton.
That title not just made them a regular fixture in the top 10 but also gave them the momentum for winning several other accolades, including another Thailand Open crown in 2024, which in fact was their last title to date.
The top seeds now find themselves on the verge of another Thailand Open title after reaching the final of the in the $500,000, Super 500 competition with a 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 victory in an hour and 22 minutes over Malaysian third seeds Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin at the Nimibutr Stadium on Saturday.
This was Rankireddy and Shetty’s eighth win in 10 meetings over the world No.9 pairing, adding momentum to the bid to end their title drought.
The Malaysians had the better start, taking control from 7-all to open up a six-point lead at 15-9. Although Satwik and Chirag attempted to narrow the gap in the latter stages, the Malaysian pair held firm to take the game 21-19.
A closely fought second game saw both pairs battle for points, with the Indians reaching game point at 20-18. Refusing to back down, Goh-Nur duo saved two game points to level the scores, only for the Indian stars to clinch the game 22-20 and force a decider.
The Asian Games champions, who were forced to withdraw from multiple tournaments like Asia Championships and Swiss Open due to injury, dominated the third game, sealing a comfortable 21-16 victory to book their place in their first final of the season.
They will face Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin, against whom they have a 4-0 record.
