Satwik-Chirag end title drought with maiden Singapore Open crown

Singapore: Former world No. 1 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty fought back from a game down to clinch their maiden Singapore Open title, defeating Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the men's doubles final of the BWF Super 750 tournament, on Sunday.

The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champions produced a gritty comeback to secure their first title in two years and their ninth career World Tour crown, besides claiming a third Super 750 title with a tense 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 win in one hour 13 minutes.

The victory was particularly significant for the world No. 4 duo, who became the first Indians to win the doubles title at the Singapore Open.

Satwik and Chirag had last lifted a trophy at the Thailand Open in 2024. Since then, they had reached four finals but finished runners-up on each occasion before finally breaking the drought in Singapore.

The Indians had entered the final trailing 1-2 in their head-to-head record against the Indonesian pair, with their most recent defeat coming in the Malaysia Open quarterfinals in January.

After dropping a closely-fought opening game, Satwik and Chirag raised their intensity and dominated the longer rallies to turn the contest around against the world No. 3 Indonesians.

The triumph capped an impressive week for the Indian pair, who had stunned reigning world champions and top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea in the semifinals.

As the winning point was sealed, Chirag lay flat on the court in celebration.

Satwik followed it up with a baby-themed celebration, while an ecstatic Chirag let out a loud roar before leaping onto his partner.

The duo later danced on court as they savoured a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium.

The gruelling final saw the Indians recover from a slow start to gradually go on to impose themselves on their opponents.

Satwik and Chirag looked rusty in the opening game, falling 2-5 behind before Satwik's powerful smashes helped them claw back to 5-5.

The contest remained neck-and-neck, with the Indians holding a slender 11-9 advantage at the mid-game interval. However, the momentum shifted after the break as Alfian and Fikri won three straight points to move ahead.

The Indonesians edged in front at 15-14 and despite the Indians fighting back to level at 16-16, 17-17 and later 18-18 after a gruelling rally, a couple of errors at crucial moments proved costly. The Indonesian pair seized the initiative and closed out the game in 21 minutes.

The Indian pair responded with positive intent in the second game, showing far greater aggression from the outset. They raced to a 2-0 lead and carried an 11-8 advantage into the interval. A six-point burst after the restart stretched their lead to 14-8 and put the Indonesians under pressure.

Satwik and Chirag maintained control, moving to 20-15 before the Indonesians narrowed the gap to 20-17.

The Indians eventually sealed the game after 24 minutes, with Chirag's sharp work at the net playing a key role in drawing them level.

The decider was tense but the Indians produced their best badminton when it mattered the most with Satwik's big powerful smashes making the difference.

Five consecutive points helped them open up a 6-2 lead and they continued to attack relentlessly to move 11-6 ahead at the final interval. Although Satwik and Chirag stretched the lead to 12-7, the Indonesians mounted a spirited comeback to reduce the deficit to 12-11.

The Indian duo, however, kept their composure as Satwik's booming smashes repeatedly bailed them out in pressure situations as they moved from 15-13 to 16-13 and then 18-13, taking firm control of the contest.

The Indonesians threatened briefly again, but a series of errors at the net compounded their problems. With the finish line in sight, Satwik's big hitting came to the fore once more as the Indians earned five match points at 20-15.

The Indians received a yellow card for delaying the serve, but it made little difference. Alfian sent his return into the net on the next point, sparking wild celebrations from the Indian duo for their memorable win.