Kolkata : Iconic Indian Badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended their two-year title drought by winning the Singapore Open men’s doubles crown. The Indian pair defeated Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Fikri 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 in a thrilling final to make history as the first Indian men’s doubles team to win the event. The duo had reached multiple finals since their last title in 2024 but were unable to cross the finish line until now.
“We used to lose earlier, but I think that this will be a special tournament for me. Thank you, crowd. Thank you so much, everyone. You guys have been so passionate, no matter what, whoever is playing. It’s been a packed stadium from the first round. I think it’s one of the best stadiums to play in. Thank you everyone,” the duo said after the match.
The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champions added their ninth career World Tour title and third Super 750 crown with a one-hour 13-minute victory, marking a significant milestone as they became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win the Singapore Open title.
Satwik and Chirag had last lifted a trophy at the Thailand Open in 2024 and since then endured a frustrating run of four runner-up finishes. Their path in Singapore was equally challenging, including a statement semifinal win over reigning world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea.
After dropping the opening game, the Indians responded strongly to dominate the longer rallies and shift the momentum.
As the winning point landed, Satwik and Chirag collapsed onto the court in celebration before breaking into emotional reactions. Satwik followed it up with a playful baby-themed gesture dedicated to his brother and sister-in-law, who recently became parents, while Chirag let out a roar of relief. The duo then danced on court, fully soaking in a memorable and hard-earned triumph.
This title marks a turning point for Satwik and Chirag after months of consistency without silverware, reaffirming their place among the world’s elite. With confidence restored and a major trophy secured, the Indian pair will now look to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.
“Singapore is happy, because after Olympics we have been battling with that (lack of titles). Chasing for that one win. And when we thought we were on the right track, personal things happened. But suddenly one good thing was, last week my brother was blessed with a baby. So the celebration was dedicated to her. We felt like my father was reborn. So she was lucky. This win is dedicated to my family, with brother and mom in the US,” Satwik said.
“These matches you don’t get so many smashes to hit,” Satwik told BWF. “So you have to prove yourself you can play at the net as well. My job is to serve and catch first shot then hand it over to Chirag. I felt they were under pressure when we were chasing up and playing very much simple. When a few net chords helped us I thought today is our day. I was so happy.”
The Indians lost a close first set after 18-18 as the two playmaking Indonesians aced the crisscross exchanges when closing out. But the Indians have hardly been thwarted by these early setbacks this week.
The Indonesians targeted Satwik who was scratchy in defense early on, with even his smashes going into the net. But the Indians have been sticking to their plan of Satwik getting used to front court duties till the halfway point in the match. Fajar-Fikri (FiFa) would also realise that he grows in confidence exponentially as the match progresses.
While the rallies stayed short mostly, the pace of the exchanges was breathless. FiFa are known for their flat crosses and surgical attacks as action remains concentrated on the front court. A 10-second rally could literally have 20 shots in play, and the Indian crouch defense was put to the test.
Opening up a 18-15 lead in the second set gave Indians the impetus and deflated Fikri who made a bunch of rush-of-blood errors. FiFa were anyway struggling to keep shuttle in bounds on the backlines. But coach Tan had also told Satwik-Chirag to be alert to the first three shots.
In the finishing stages of the second, Satwik found the line on a lofted shot and pushed a decider with a lucky net chord. The Indian attack by then had composed itself — absorbing pressure of the flat crisscrosses in defense, and pouncing on lifts given Satwik smashes were impossible to defend for the Indonesians.
Even as the Indonesians correctly attacked Satwik chasing him like a tracker about the court, he came up with the best point of the Singapore smashing success. On a dipping shuttle in front of him, when it was inches off the ground, he curled his wrists exquisitely with the racquet head pointing down to send the swishing lift to the back line for 9-5 in the decider.
When Fikri got going and reduced gap to 13-15, the Indian soaring attack was back. Three smashes from Chirag got dug out by Alfian, but they had no answer to the 4th from Satwik.
At 16-13 and 20-15, Satwik unleashed a hat-tip to India’s obsessed sport — cricket. With his version of yorker-smashes. No matter how good your defense — and the Indonesians have very good retrieving capabilities — there’s little you can do when the smash is aimed right at the toes. Alfian could only sweep it away on the floor — such was the precision. Satwik snuck in a yellow card in the middle of all this for not being ready quick enough to receive serve. But his last down hit was sent flying wide by a grimacing, glum Alfian.
“I’ve put in a lot of effort and energy in my celebration. Jokes aside, we knew the wins would come. Just a matter of time,” Chirag said.
For Rankireddy and Shetty, faith carried them through two titleless years and towards a victory dedicated to a new life.
