Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 26: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s top-ranked doubles team, won their first championship of the 2023 campaign at the Swiss Open in Basel.
On Sunday,Satwik and Chirag defeated Chinese players Ren Xiang Yu and Tang Qiang in the doubles final, winning in straight games. After 54 minutes, Satwik and Chirag overcame the World No. 21 21-19, 24-22 to begin the new season. Despite a great defensive performance from their rivals Ren and Tang, the Indian stars, the No. 2 seeds, controlled the encounter.
Mathias Boe, the doubles coach for India, who was ensuring the two young lads maintained their composure in tense situations, jumped for joy as Satwik and Chirag converted their fourth match point, preventing Ren and Tang from winning a third game. Chirag celebrated the significant victory in Basel by taking off his shirt.
https://twitter.com/RevSportz/status/1639941145735176193
Satwik and Chirag won their maiden championship in Basel and their first on the tour since winning the French Open Super 750 in October 2022. After putting behind the sadness of an early exit at the All England Open earlier in March, the pair will be hoping it’s the first of many in 2023.
The Commonwealth Games gold medal was one of three victories the World No. 6 pair had in 2022. At the World Championships, they also took third place and won a bronze medal. Satwik was forced to miss the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in February 2023 due to ongoing injury issues.
The youthful team defeated third seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the Swiss Open semifinal, displaying early indications of returning to their best.
