India Open 2024: Chirag-Satwik cruise into final with dominating victory

NEW DELHI: World No.2 men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy recorded a stellar victory in what was a repeat of the Asian Game 2022 semi-finals against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the India Open 2024 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Saturday. The Indian pair secured a 21-18, 21-14 against Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists Chia and Wooi Yik and progressed to the final of the BWF 750 Series badminton tournament.

The first game was a neck-to-neck affair with both pairs performing at their absolute best. With the game tied at 17-17, Chirag-Satwik scored three straight points to surge ahead and take the lead in the tie. The Malaysian pair came back with renewed energy in the second game to take a 10-6 advantage. But the Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallists mounted a comeback and scored five straight points to overturn a 10-13 deficit.

From that point, Chirag-Satwik dominated their opponents and after winning a 29-shot rally, claimed the victory. The former champions will face reigning world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea in the final. Expressing his thoughts on the win Chirag Shetty said, "It was a good win today. Going into the match, we knew that it will be a tough game because we always had some really close games. But luckily in the end, we stayed calm and eventually won. The crowd support has been tremendous. It feels really, special and I hope to see many more people coming in huge numbers tomorrow as well. Last year, we couldn't complete the tournament, but this time playing in the final, against the Koreans who are a formidable duo, definitely it will be a good match. We aim for the title."

In the men's singles semi-finals, 2023 World Championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy went down fighting against the World No. 2 Shi Yu Qui of China and suffered a 15-21, 5-21 defeat.

The two shuttlers were closely matched in the first game. However, after Prannoy leveled the score at 14-14 after winning a 37-shot rally, his Chinese opponent scored four successive points to claim the first game. With his smooth movement and efficient smashes, the Asian Games 2022 silver medallist maintained his tempo in the second game to seal the victory and reach his second successive final in a week. Shi Yu Qui will face Hong Kong's Lee Chuek Yiu, who stunned 2023 World Championships silver medallist Kodai Naraoka of Japan in a thrilling 21-13, 15-21, 21-19 win, in the final.

Earlier, Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chen Yu Fei of China and silver medallist Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei registered comprehensive victories to set up a highly anticipated women's singles final. World No.2 Chen Yu Fei was at the top of her game as she prevailed by 21-13, 21-18 against compatriot Wang Zhi Yi while fourth seed Tai Tzu-Ying defeated Yeo Jia Min of Singapore 21-13, 21-18 in 37 minutes.

In women's doubles, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara of Japan overcame Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallists Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea 21-13, 21-16. They will take on World Championships 2023 bronze medallists Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu of China who defeated compatriots Li Wen Mei and Liu Xuan Xuan 19-21, 21-17, 21-18. In mixed doubles, former World champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand recorded a hard-fought 18-21, 21-15, 21-19 win over Ye Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin of Chinese Taipei. Reigning Asian Champions Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China will take on the Thai pair in the final after packing off Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun of South Korea 21-19, 21-18.