Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinch Thailand Open Super 500 men's doubles title

The charismatic Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy displayed sheer dominance to clinch the Thailand Open 2024 men's doubles title on Sunday (May 19). Chirag and Satwiksairaj took just 45 minutes to wrap up the summit clash as they hammered the Chinese duo of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi 21-15, 21-15.

The win in the Thailand Open has come after the disappointment that they endured recently in the All England Open and Thomas Cup. Chirag and Satwiksairaj suffered a second round exit in the All England Open after they lost to the former champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana of Indonesia in straight games - 16-21, 15-21.

The Thomas Cup also ended on a disappointing note for the pair as India had to bow out in the quarters after a 3-1 loss to China. Chirag and Satwiksairaj suffered an excruciating loss at the hands of the Chinese pair of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in a three-game thriller 15-21, 21-11, 12-21.

However, Sat-Chi (as they are



fondly called by their fans) put the disappointment of their previous losses behind them and played like champions in the Thailand Open summit clash.

Competing in their fourth final this year, the top-seeded pair of Chirag and Satwiksairaj entered the summit clash as the favourites and played the same way till the culmination of the fixture.

After racing to a 4-1 lead in the first game, Chirag and Satwiksairaj conceded the advantage and went into the mid-game interval with just a one-point lead (11-10). 

The Indians came back strongly after the break and raced to five game points. They sealed the first game in 20 minutes to stamp their authority on the final.

Contrary to the first game, Satwiksairaj and Chirag adopted an unrelenting approach in the second and took a five-pont lead (11-6) to head into the mid-game interval. Though the Chinese pair displayed a fightback to make it 15-16, the Indians came roaring back and finished the game in style.