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Social media was abuzz on Sunday, July 23, as India's premier men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the Korea Open title. The Super 500 triumph in Yeosu gave the World No. 3 duo their fourth title of the season after success earlier in the year at the Swiss Open, Badminton Asia Championships, and the Indonesia Open.
The Indian duo also made history with their latest achievement as they became the first pair from the country to win a title at the Korea Open.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had been on a roll all week. They accounted for World No. 5 pair of Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi in the quarter-finals, World No. 2 team of Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang in the semi-finals before beating the top-ranked combine of Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the final.
The summit clash didn't turn out to be straightforward for the high-flying Indians. Rankireddy and Shetty had to work their way back from a game down to secure a 17-21, 21-13, 21-14 win that took one hour and two minutes to complete.
With the Indian boys exuding a lot of determination in their come-from-behind victory, badminton fans on Twitter are confident that they will climb to the pinnacle of the world rankings very soon. Congratulatory messages poured in from all quarters, praising their consistency, as Rankireddy and Shetty added yet another feather to their cap.
Here are some of the best reactions:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty will now aim for Japan Open title
With back-to-back titles at the Indonesia Open and the Korea Open, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are now on a 10-match winning streak. They have a chance to extend their streak further next week as they set their sights on winning the Japan Open, a Super 750 tournament that gets underway in Tokyo on July 25.
The Indians are seeded third at the Japan Open and kick off their campaign against the Indonesian combine of Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin.
