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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have clinched the men's doubles title at the 2023 Korea Open. The Indian pair registered a come-from-behind win against top-ranked pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the Super 500 final on Sunday, July 23.
Satwik and Chirag started the match on a slow note and quickly fell behind 10-19. They managed to win six points on the trot but had to concede the first game. They put that disappointment behind them and dominated the second game from the start. The Indians opened up a 6-4 lead and maintained it till 10-8 as Satwik's trademark smashes were on full display.
With nine game points on hand, the Indians squandered two but converted the third when Chirag went down the middle to take the match into a decider.
With momentum behind them, Satwik and Chirag maintained control of the proceedings and always stayed in the lead. They led the third game 9-6 and then 11-8 at the interval. The third seeds did not let their focus slip, giving Alfian and Ardianto no room to mount a comeback.
With seven points in the end, the Indian pair wasted one before converting the next and wrapping up the contest 17-21, 21-13, 21-14.
Satwik and Chirag were an exception to how Indians performed at the Korea Open this year. Nine out of 11 Indian singles players crashed out in the first round and none progressed past the second round.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinch fourth title of 2023 at Korea Open
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty now lead 3-2 in their head-to-head against Asian Games silver medallists Alfian and Ardianto. They have come out on top in the last three meetings, including the latest in Korea.
With the result, the World No. 3 team has also extended their winning streak to 10 matches. The Korea Open title is their fourth triumph this year, following their wins at the Swiss Open, Asian Championships, and Indonesia Open.
This is the latest title in Satwik and Chirag's trophy cabinet. The duo has previously won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, a gold medal in the Thomas Cup, and a bronze medal in the World Championships.
They have also registered wins in four categories on the BWF World Tour: the Super 300 (Syed Modi and Swiss Open), Super 500 (Thailand Open, Korea Open and India Open), Super 750 (French Open), and Super 1000 (Indonesia Open).
