Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 16: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the top doubles combo, defeated three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in straight games to become the first men’s team from Indonesia to win the Yonex-Sunrise India Open in New Delhi on Sunday.
The world no. 10 Indian pair, who won their first Super 500 tournament in Thailand in 2019, defeated the top seeded Indonesian pair 21-16, 26-24 in 43 minutes to start the new season on a high note.
Satwik and Chirag, who entered the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record, put forth a valiant effort against the Indonesian duo and held off a comeback to win the final.
Life has come full circle for the Indian couple, who went from almost missing the tournament due to a false COVID positive result to winning the title and accumulating vital ranking points ahead of a demanding season that includes big-ticket events like the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Satwik and Chirag won the Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019, as well as reaching the finals of the French Open Super 750.
In addition to winning the Hyderabad Open Super 100 and coming second at Syed Modi International in 2018, the duo won silver at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. The Indian duo qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year, but despite winning two of their three games, they were unable to go past the group stage.
