Badminton
Malaysia Open: Satwik/Chirag reach final, defeats World Champion pair
The Indian pair made a brilliant comeback against the World Champions in the second game to save six match points and reach the final.
Chirag Shetty (left) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (right) will look to defend India's Thomas Cup title in April-May in China.
Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty entered the men's doubles final of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament on Saturday.
The Indian pair defeated World Champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea in straight games to reach the final of the tournament for the first time.
The world number 2 Indian pair, who won the Asian Games gold medal last year, beat their Korean opponents 21-18 22-20 in the semifinal match that lasted 47 minutes.
The Indian duo scripted a solid comeback in the second game after being down 14-20 and saved six-game points and then won the game with two consecutive points 22-20.
The match was marked by short and snappy rallies as Satwik and Chirag showed better anticipation and execution to lead 9-5 in the opening game.
However, a couple of long shots from the Indian pair and some clever stroke play helped the Koreans take four straight points.
Chirag came up with a brilliant return while Satwik continued his good work on the net as the Indian pair continued the lead in the first game. After the mid-game break, the Koreans tried to come back but the Indians raced to a lead of 17-13 and then won the first game 21-18.
Seo and Kang started better in the second game and they managed a lead of 11-6 at the interval.
The Indian pair committed a few errors as the Koreans made it 14-20 looking to force a decider. But the Indian pair scripted a brilliant comeback taking eight points in a row to win the second game 22-20 and move to the fina
