Swiss Open 2023: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinch India's maiden doubles title

This is also the pair's first trophy of the 2023 season.

Indian number one doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Chinese pair Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang in straight games (21-19,24-22) to win the BWF 300 Swiss Open 2023 title. The Indian pair, seeded second in the tournament, also scripted history by clinching India's first doubles title in the 68-year history of the competition. This is also the duo's first title of the 2023 season.

The Indian pair fondly called "SatChi" got off to an excellent start taking a three-point lead. They lost the first point through a service fault. A rare thing occurred in the opening few minutes with the shuttle cock getting stuck on top of the net. The umpire intervened and asked for the particular point to be played again. The Indians went into the mid-game interval with a three-point lead (11-8) and maintained the lead consistently till the end to win the first game 21-19. The Chinese pair fought back at the fag end of the first half but couldn't get through.

Satwik showed great composure in defence hitting round-the-back shots. Chirag Shetty, on the other hand, intercepted a few shots at the end and created chances on his own. In the second game, the Indian pair had two match points at 20-18 but conceded both of them. The match was heading for a close finish with the Chinese pair coming back strongly but the Indians converted their fifth match point and won the match.

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The Indian duo made it to their maiden final of the Swiss Open after exiting in the pre-quarterfinals stage at the prestigious All England Badminton Championships. Satwik and Chirag started the 2023 season on a bright note reaching the semifinals of the BWF 750 Malaysia Open but an injury to the former meant they had to forego a few tournaments. The duo retired midway through the Indian Open and Chirag had to partner Dhruv Kapila at the Asia Mixed Team Championships.

Satwik/Chirag defeated Malaysian pair Boon Xin Yuan and Wong Tien Ci comfortably in straight sets in the opening round of the Swiss Open. They had a tough match in the pre-quarterfinals but defeated the Chinese Taipei pair Fang-Chih Lee/ Fan-Jeh Lee in three sets.

In the semi-finals, they had a tough clash against third-seed Malaysian duo Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi. The Malaysian pair created spaces and found good placements but couldn't capitalize on the momentum created in the second set. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are on the right track with the Olympic qualifying cycle set to start next month (April).

Satwiksairaji Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty Performance at BWF 300 Swiss Open

R32 - Defeated Boon Xin Yuan and Wong Tien Ci (21-15, 21,18)

R16 - Defeated Fang-Chih Lee/ Fan-Jeh Lee (12-21, 21-17, 28-26)

Quarter-Finals - Defeated Jeppe Bay/Lasse Molhede (15-21, 21-11, 21-14)

Semi-Finals - Defeated Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi (21-19, 17-21, 21-17)

Final - Defeated Ran Xiang Yu/Tan Qiang (21-19, 24-22)