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Satwik-Chirag Begin Thailand Open Campaign with Gritty Win

Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty began their Thailand Open campaign with a gritty three-game victory over Indonesia's Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana. The top seeds rallied from a 16-11 deficit in the first game to win 21-19, before losing the second 23-21 and dominating the decider 21-10. The Asian Games champions are seeking their third Thailand Open title, having won in 2019 and 2024. Other Indian players including MR Arjun, Hariharan Amsakarunan, and the Panda sisters are also competing in Bangkok.

Key Points: Satwik-Chirag Win Thailand Opener in Thriller

  • Satwik-Chirag win first round in Bangkok
  • Comeback from 16-11 down in first game
  • Won 21-19, 23-21, 21-10 in 64 minutes
  • Aiming for third Thailand Open title
2 min read

Indian duo Satwik-Chirag begin Thailand Open campaign with gritty win

Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Indonesia's Erwiansyah-Maulana 21-19, 23-21, 21-10 to advance in Bangkok.

"The top-seeded Indian duo... overcame Indonesia's unranked pair... in a closely fought opening-round clash - Olympics.com"

Bangkok, May 12

Reigning Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kicked off their Thailand Open campaign with a gritty victory at Bangkok's Nimibutr Stadium on Tuesday.

The top-seeded Indian duo, currently ranked world No 4, overcame Indonesia's unranked pair of Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana 21-19, 23-21, 21-10 in a closely fought opening-round clash to storm into the second round.

After a slow start that saw them fall behind 16-11, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a stunning comeback, reeling off seven consecutive points to wrest control and narrowly pocket the opening game, according to Olympics.com.

The momentum shifted in the second game as the Indonesian duo bounced back from 11-9 down to force a tense finish, eventually taking the game to draw level and push the match into a decider.

But the Indian pair responded dominantly in the final game, controlling proceedings from the outset and sealing the hard-fought victory in one hour and four minutes.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are eyeing their third Thailand Open title. They previously won the BWF Super 500 tournament twice, in 2019 and 2024.

MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, along with India's women's doubles pair Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, are set to begin their main draw campaigns later in the day.

In the men's singles qualifiers, Manav Choudhary pushed Lee Zii Jia, the 2024 Summer Olympics bronze medallist, in a spirited contest before going down 21-19, 21-18.

Meanwhile, Anushka Shahapurkar bowed out in the women's singles qualifiers after suffering a 21-5, 21-7 defeat to Thailand's Yataweemin Ketklieng.

Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan's mixed doubles campaign also ended in the qualifiers after a 21-11, 21-18 defeat to Tsai Fu-Cheng and Sung Yu-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

V
Vikram M
Gritty win indeed! But I have to say, we need to be more consistent in the opening games. Falling behind 16-11 against an unranked pair is concerning. Lucky they turned it around, but against top seeds, that could be costly.
R
Rohit P
Great fightback from our boys! The way they dominated the third game 21-10 shows their real class. Chirag's net play and Satwik's smashes are just 🔥. Proud moment for Indian badminton! 🇮🇳
N
Nisha Z
Good win but I'm a bit worried about Manav Choudhary's close loss to Lee Zii Jia. He pushed the Olympic bronze medallist to 21-19, 21-18—that's encouraging. Hope our singles players catch up with the doubles success soon.
K
Karthik V
Satwik-Chirag are the best thing to happen to Indian badminton since Saina and Sindhu. Their chemistry on court is unmatched. That 7-point streak in the first game was vintage stuff! 😎
T
Tanya I
Impressive that they bounced back after losing the second game. Many pairs would have crumbled under pressure, but these guys showed champion mentality. All the best for the next round! 🏆
A
Ananya R

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