Bangkok: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Saturday became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to enter the summit clash of a BWF Super 500 tournament with a three-game win in the Thailand Open semifinals, here.
The world number 16 Indian duo prevailed 22-20, 22-24, 21-9 against the 19th-ranked Korean team of Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol after battling hard for 63 minutes.
It is first final of the 2019 season for Rankireddy and Shetty, the men’s doubles silver medallist at 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The unseeded India combination will face third seeds Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the summit clash on Sunday.
Rankireddy and Shetty were slow off the blocks as the Korean pair had the better share of exchanges in the first game. But after the break, the Indians lifted their game and drew parity at 13 apiece before surging ahead 20-18. The Indians kept their composure and earned two crucial points to take the first game.
In the second game, the Indian pair looked in no mood to surrender as they clawed back to make it 20-all. The two pairs fought tooth and nail before the Koreans prevailed. In the decider, it was a cakewalk for the Indians as their Korean rivals failed to sustain the tempo. Shetty attributed their success to a calm and composed approach.
