Indonesia Open: Satwiksairaj-Chirag reveal 'wake-up call' that put them back on track

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Pic: AFP)

Things don't always go according to our plans, but a change of plans may be an example of synchronicity, the mysterious set of coincidental circumstances that lead us to a life fulfillment unguessed and unsought. Perhaps for a better tomorrow. When the World No. 6 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty failed to live up to expectations in the Asian leg of the tour before they arrived at the Istora for Indonesia Open, all hope seemed lost. Following a string of very ordinary performances at the Sudirman Cup, the top-ranked doubles Indian pair bowed out in the first round of the Singapore Open and the second round at the Thailand Open.

Perhaps, they didn't give up too soon. Or, believed that things will work out well in the end. And they certainly did, as our very own 'Sat-Chi' came off with flying colours at the Istora. The duo went on to become the first Indian pair to win a Super 1000 title, the Indonesia Open.

Satwiksairaj and Chirag defeated the World No. 1 pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the quarter-final before getting the better of their arch-rivals Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik in the final. The magnitude of the result can be gauged from the fact that this was the first time Satwiksairaj and Chirag are beating Aaron and Soh in 11 attempts.

The Indians outwitted the Malaysian world champion duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-17, 21-18 in an intense contest that lasted 43 minutes.

"It's a happy performance after a bad month. We had become lazy, I'd say passive, we thought it's under control. But it wasn't under control. It was a wake-up call for us, the last two tournaments - to be alert, or be smashed in the first round itself. More than winning the tournament, beating them - you don't get it often. When we play next time we'll go all-in like this, so it's a confidence boost going ahead," Satwiksairaj told BWF.

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The 2022 world championships bronze medallists have now become the first doubles Indian doubles pair to land the title while Saina Nehwal (2010, 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (2017) had earlier bagged the singles crown in Jakarta. The Indian duo is the first doubles pair from the country to clinch a Super 1000 title while they also stand as the first ones to win the set of S100, S300, S500, S750 and S1000 events from the country.

Earlier, they had become the first ever Indian pair to reach the final of any Super 1000 tournament after a sensational comeback to get the better of the Korean combination of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae 17-21, 21-19 21-18 in a thrilling semi-final.