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Thailand Open badminton: Satwik-Chirag save four championship points before settling for runner-up finish

admin — Sun, 17 May 2026 08:28:00 +0000

File photo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Star Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saved four championship points before going down fighting against Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in a gripping men’s doubles final to finish runners-up at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament in Bangkok on Sunday (May 17, 2026).

World No. 4 Satwik and Chirag, champions in 2019 and 2024, looked off-colour in the opening game but showed great mental fortitude under pressure in the second to almost take the match to the decider before losing 12-21 23-25 in a 53-minute summit clash.

It was another creditable finish for Satwik and Chirag, who have established themselves as India’s most consistent doubles pair in recent years. For the Indian duo, who had missed some tournaments due to Satwik’s shoulder injury, it was a third final appearance at the $475,000 event and their first of the season.

They had also finished runners-up at the China Masters and Hong Kong Open last year.

While the Indians returned to the podium once again, it proved to be a dream finish for Carnando and Marthin, who reunited for this tournament after two years following the latter’s recovery from a long-term knee injury that required surgery.

It was also the Indonesians’ first win over Satwik and Chirag, who had entered the contest with a 4-0 head-to-head record against them, with three of those victories coming in three-game matches.

The contest turned into a high-intensity affair marked by quick exchanges at the net and fierce front-court battles.

Chirag appeared to struggle with his serve early on as the Indians slipped to a 1-4 deficit, though they stayed within touching distance at 7-9.

Leo and Daniel then opened up a four-point cushion after Satwik failed to control one of Daniel’s powerful smashes.

The Indonesians looked in complete control as they extended the lead to 13-8 before a couple of unforced errors helped the Indians narrow the gap.

However, a sharp smash split the Indian pair, and Chirag then pushed one wide to hand the Indonesians a five-point advantage again.

The Indians won two successful video referrals, but they were erratic and buckled under constant pressure. Chirag found the net once more as they trailed 12-17.

Satwik and Chirag struggled in the service exchanges and were undone by a string of unforced errors as the Indonesians earned eight game points and sealed the opener when Satwik pushed a return into the net.

After the change of sides, Marthin continued to dismantle the Indian defence with his brutal smashes as the Indonesians led 5-3.

A flick serve helped the Indians claw back at 5-5 and go on a run of points as they took a 7-5 lead for the first time in the match with a scything return at the net from Chirag.

The Indonesians drew level at 9-9 before a smash from Chirag and a wide return from their opponents handed the Indians a two-point lead at the interval.

On resumption, it became a contest of who blinks first as a flick serve from Chirag was punished with a thunderous smash as the Indonesians again made it 11-11 before moving ahead after Satwik found the net after a rapid-fire cross-court exchange.

There was little to separate the two pairs thereafter as the lead kept changing hands in tense service situations, with the scores locked at 14-14 to 19-19.

The Indonesians earned their first championship point with Marthin once again targeting Chirag with a fierce push. The Indians saved it after forcing an error from Marthin to make it 20-20. Marthin then secured another championship point, only for Chirag to erase it with a sharp net kill.

A service error from Satwik handed the Indonesians a third championship point, but they failed to convert after sending the shuttle long. Another brutal attacking return from Marthin at the front court earned Indonesia a fourth championship point, but the Indians survived yet again.

Marthin produced another decisive kill shot to bring up a fifth championship point, and this time the Indonesians sealed the match when the Indians found the net.

Published – May 17, 2026 01:58 pm IST

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Thailand Open: Satwik-Chirag enter doubles final after thrilling win over Malaysians

admin — Sat, 16 May 2026 11:25:00 +0000

A gritty Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showed nerves of steel as they stormed into the men’s doubles final with a riveting three-game win over Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin at the Thailand Open Super 500 badminton tournament in Bangkok on Saturday (May 16, 2026).

World No. 4 Satwik and Chirag, who won the title in 2019 and 2024, displayed remarkable composure under pressure to outclass the world No. 9 Malaysian pair 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 in a gruelling semifinal that lasted 82 minutes.

“It feels good. We didn’t start of the year that well, we were also not good mentally because of not a really good start.

“As players we are very very driven and we really wanted some answers and finally the bronze at the Thomas Cup especially boosted our confidence and here we are playing our first final of the year,” Chirag said.

“Hopefully We can go and win the title.”

It will be their third final appearance at the $500,000 tournament and first of the season.

The Indian pair will have to recover from the 82-minute match when they face Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the summit clash.

Quick rallies

The Malaysians made a bright start, dominating the front-court battle to lead 3-1, but the Indians quickly caught up with some fine finishing to make it 5-5.

The match was dominated by lightning-fast rallies, packed with relentless angled attacking returns and immaculate defending.

The Malaysians had their nose ahead for most of the first half of the opening game, going into the break with an 11-8 lead. There were some brutal smashes from Chirag and Izzuddin, while Goh produced a few delightful drop shots.

A few unforced errors from Chirag, who found the net and also went long and wide, only increased the deficit to 9-15.

The Indians tried to narrow the gap to 12-16, but Izzuddin’s powerful smashes and quality defending against a barrage of attacks helped the Malaysians open up an 18-12 lead.

Two errors from Goh and a long shot saw the Malaysians’ lead reduced to three points at 18-15.

Another net error from the Malaysians made it four straight points for the Indians.

But the Malaysians regained the serve and when Chirag completely miscued a shot, it handed them three game points. They squandered two before Satwik hit the net to concede the opening game.

Second game

After the change of sides, it was once again a tight affair as the two pairs moved from 3-3 to 6-6. Both pairs engaged in short rallies, with Satwik and Chirag varying the pace of their smashes and forcing errors to lead 9-6.

A return of serve into the net from Chirag and a body shot from the Malaysians cut the lead to 9-10 before the Indians took a two-point advantage at the interval.

Goh stepped up at the net to produce a winner as the Malaysians again clawed back to 13-13. A brutal smash from Chirag helped the Indians once again open up a 16-14 advantage.

Another return of serve into the net from Chirag made it 16-16. A successful challenge on a serve error took the Indians to 18-16 and then 19-16. Chirag then pushed one wide, but the Malaysians sprayed one long to hand over two game points to the Indians. Satwik and Chirag squandered both, first when Chirag found the net and then when the Malaysians unleashed a smash.

At 20-20, the Indians came out on top after the highest-intensity rally of the match, which saw both pairs defend relentlessly. This time they converted after Izzuddin sprayed one wide.

Big lead in third game

The decider again started on an even keel with Satwik taking more initiative, including unleashing a flurry of smashes.

There was little to separate the two pairs as the score moved from 3-3 to 5-5. The Indians then reeled off six straight points, with the Malaysians committing too many unforced errors, as Satwik and Chirag opened up a decisive 11-5 cushion.

A brutal smash from Satwik and then a push to the backcourt meant the Indians were leading 13-6.

The Malaysians tried to mount a comeback, reducing the gap to 13-17, but they were too erratic as Satwik and Chirag found a way to make it 19-14. Chirag was called for a service fault for height before Satwik unleashed a cross-court smash to earn five match points.

A lucky net cord delayed the inevitable before Chirag put one away to seal a place in the final.

Published – May 16, 2026 04:55 pm IST

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