SINGAPORE — India’s men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the Singapore Open Super 750 final after defeating world No. 1 South Korean duo Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in straight games on Saturday, according to tournament reports.
The fourth-seeded Indian pair secured a 21-19, 21-18 victory in the men’s doubles semifinal at the Singapore Open, ending the top seeds’ run and booking a place in Sunday’s title match. Reports from Indian and regional media said the contest lasted about 52 minutes.
Rankireddy and Shetty, ranked among the leading men’s doubles teams on the international circuit, had trailed at stages of both games before recovering to close out the match. The Indians were behind in the opening game before taking key points late on, and again rallied in the second game after falling several points behind at the mid-game interval, according to match reports.
The result marked their first reported victory over Kim and Seo as a pairing and sent the Indian duo into another World Tour final after a recent runner-up finish at the Thailand Open earlier in May.
Speaking after the match, Shetty said the pair remained confident despite trailing during key moments.
“Even when we were down we kept backing each other and eventually we knew they will crack at some point and if we stick to our plans we knew it will work. We had that belief, and it worked out well for us,” Shetty was quoted as saying by Indian media.
Rankireddy said the pair focused on applying pressure at the net.
“We just kept pushing towards the net, I felt they were not in a comfortable position to defend,” he said.
The victory also ensured India’s representation in the men’s doubles final of one of the Badminton World Federation’s Super 750 events. Reports described the win as one of the pair’s most significant results of the season against opponents who entered the tournament as reigning world champions and the top-ranked team.
Rankireddy and Shetty were scheduled to face Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in Sunday’s final after the Indonesian pair advanced from the other semifinal, according to tournament reports.
