India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated the Chinese pair of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi 21-15, 21-15 to win the Thailand Open title in the men’s doubles event on Sunday.
The top seeds were challenged by the unseeded Chinese duo in the first half of the first game, however, Chirag’s successful review gave the Indians a 12-11 lead after trailing 10-11 at the mid-game interval. Following that, the Asian Games gold medallist never looked back and stormed forward to a 21-15 lead in the first game.
The second game saw the Sat-Chi duo predominantly in control, maintaining a five-point advantage at the mid-game interval. However, with Chirag unable to find his balance and the pair committing a slew of errors, the Chinese saw a glimmer of hope, closing the gap to 15-14.
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Despite facing some hiccups, the world number three pair managed to conclude the match in just 45 minutes.
“So happy to win back in Thailand. We won our first Super series here as well as the Thomas Cup,” the Indian pair said after the match.
Satwik and Chirag won their maiden Super 500 crown in Thailand in 2019. This year, they finished runner-up at the Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 before claiming the French Super 750 in March.
