Satwiksairaj & Chirag clinch Indonesia Open, create history

JAKARTA: Indian star shuttler duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the Indonesia Open 2023 title on Sunday after securing their first victory against world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia.

They won the title in two straight games with scores of 21-17 and 21-18. This marked the first victory in their nine encounters against the world No. 3 Malaysian duo.

The Indian pair started slowly but they started to unleash their attacking prowess to win six consecutive points and take a 9-7 lead.

They protected their lead and built on it to secure the first set. In the second set, both pair showed aggression and were level at 6-6. But Satwiksairaj and Chirag's impressive shot selection and quick reflexes allowed them to take the lead in the second game.

They didn't allow Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to mount a comeback. The victory at the Indonesia Open was the sixth title for Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy on the BWF World Tour. Their last BWF title came at the Swiss Open Super 300 tournament in March.

They suffered an upset in their last tournament as they crashed out of Singapore Open 2023. They managed to reach the final of the Indonesia Open 2023 by defeating the South Korean pair of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae by 17-21, 21-19, 21-18 in the semifinal.

The Indian duo lost the first game but bounced back in the next two games, which turned out to be extremely competitive and intense. (