Thailand Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag reach their fourth final of the year

India's ace doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their stellar performance this year by reaching their fourth final at the BWF World Tour, following a straight-game win in the semifinals of the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament in Bangkok on Saturday.

Satwik and Chirag's dominance in the tournament continued as they easily defeated the world number 80 Chinese Taipei duo of Ming Che Lu and Tang Kai Wei in the semifinals, securing another straight-game (21-11, 21-12) victory in just 35 minutes.

Although the match started off sloppily with both pairs making unforced errors, Satwik and Chirag's experience helped them regain control, ultimately securing the win by conceding only 23 points across the two games.

As the top-seeded Indian pair, they face a formidable challenge in the final against the Chinese duo of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi. The 29th-ranked Chinese pair has had an impressive run in the tournament, setting the stage for an exciting final tomorrow.

A victory in this tournament would bring the Indian pair closer to reclaiming the world number one position in the upcoming ranking update next week.

On the flip side, Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto's impressive streak came to an end in the semifinals with a hard-fought straight-game defeat (12-21, 20-22) against the top-seeded pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand.

Despite a strong comeback in the second game, saving three match points and forcing a deuce, they couldn't capitalize on the opportunity. Unfortunately, Tanisha's attempt at a cheeky net shot on the fourth match point ended in hitting the shuttle on the net, concluding their journey in the semis.

Although they missed out on their chance to reach their first major final of the year, they earned crucial ranking points that could boost their seeding at the Paris Olympics.