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Two years after Kidambi Srikanth triumphed at the French Open, there is once more a chance of seeing the Indian flag flying high in Paris. The difference is that this time, the opportunity is in the doubles category after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept their impressive giant-killing run going all through the week at the French capital.
Since doubles has never been India's forte, Rankireddy and Shetty's continued progress at the top echelons of the sport brings delight to every badminton aficionado. After etching their names in history by winning the Super 500-level Thailand Open a couple of months back, they have not rested on their laurels.
This week they have shown what it takes to reach the top 10 of the sport and it is oodles of fearlessness. Sitting at their career-high No.11 rank in the world, they refused to be intimidated by the higher-ranked pairs and swatted them aside convincingly.
Their victims include the World No.2 and reigning world champions Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, the World No.8 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and World No.6 Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe.
Next up is yet another formidable pair, who are also the planet's best men's doubles pair. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo have met the Indians six times and have come out victorious on each occasion. However, even in the pair's losses, the young Indian pair has put up some spirited fight against such a redoubtable team.
It is to be noted that the last time the two met was at the Indonesia Open this year, which was before Rankireddy and Shetty dazzled in Bangkok. After the kind of patience the two Indians have displayed under pressure all week, they will surely aim for nothing less than the title, no matter how tough the opposition might be.
Besides, Gideon and Sukamuljo were the ones who stopped them in Paris last year as well, when they made it to the semifinals. It remains to be seen if they have learned from their mistakes from 2018 and can actually turn the tables this time around.
Here is all you need to know about the French Open
Tournament: Yonex French Open 2019
Category: Super 750
Location: Paris, France
Dates: October 22-27, 2019
Round: Final
Time: (1) Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo vs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty at approx 10:15 pm IST on Sunday, October 27, 2019
Where to watch the matches in India?
The French Open matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD.
Live Stream Details and Info for the matches
Live Stream will be available on hotstar.com.
