Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be the first Indians to compete in the final of Malaysia Open. The duo saved six game points and converted their first match point to emerge victors 21-18, 22-20 against South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae
The pioneering, all-conquering pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have again gone where no Indian has before. The world number 2 men's doubles duo have become the first from the country to enter the final of Malaysia Open BWF badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur. (More Badminton News)
Down 14-20 in the second game, Satwik and Chirag saved six game points and converted their first match point to emerge victors 21-18, 22-20 against South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae. It was incredible comeback that left the viewers and commentators alike breathless.
After winning the first game 21-18, the Indian pairing were behind in the second game right from the beginning. The Korean pair seemed to be dictating proceedings and looked set to force a deciding third game.
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But as is their wont, the fiery Satwik and Chirag came roaring back and won eight points in a row to stun Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae. With that, the Indians have booked their place in the summit clash of Malaysia Open, which is something that no badminton player from the country - be it the singles or doubles category- has ever done before.
The first game was somewhat more straightforward, with Satwik and Chirag racing away to an early lead and holding on to it till the very end. The Koreans saved a couple of game points but it was too little, too late as the game went to the Indians 21-18.
Satwik and Chirag have been in fabulous form over the past 12 months, during which they won the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou, a Super 1000 title in Indonesia, the Korea Open Super 500 and also the Swiss Open Super 300. The superlative string of results led to them becoming an unprecedented World No.1, though only briefly.
The Indians will look to rewrite history again when they step out on the court for the summit clash on Sunday. They will face the winners of the second men's doubles semi-final between China's Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang and Japan's Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kabayashi.