Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty create history with Indonesia Open win

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have clinched India's first-ever gold medal in men's doubles at the Indonesia Open.

Rankireddy and Shetty beat Malaysia’s world champions Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in the final in Jakarta on Sunday, June 18, to emerge victorious. The pair won the summit clash in straight games, 21-17, 21-18.

After making a slow start, the World No. 6 pair found their footing to lead 11-9 at the mid-game break. They then did not let the lead slip and took the first game with ease.

Rankireddy and Shetty began the second game on a much better pace and dominated for the most part. The Malaysians failed to mount a comeback and were defeated in just 43 minutes.

This is their first win against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooh Yik in nine meetings on the tour.

Rankireddy and Shetty have bounced back in style after going through a string of disappointing results at the Sudirman Cup, Singapore Open, and Thailand Open.

On Saturday, they became the first-ever Indian pair to reach the final of any Super 1000 tournament after a sensational comeback win against Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae. The Commonwealth Games gold medalists duo beat the Koreans 17-21, 21-19 21-18 in one hour and seven minutes in the semifinals.

Rankireddy and Shetty's win at the Indonesia Open comes just one month after they won the gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships. That win saw them become the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a gold medal at the event.

The Indonesia Open champions have now won titles at all levels on the BWF tour (from 300 to 1000) along with medals at the World championships, Thomas Cup, and Commonwealth Games. The only thing missing from their trophy cabinet is an Olympic medal, and the Paris 2024 Olympics is a little more than a year away.