Singapore Open: Satwik-Chirag stunned world No. 1 Seo-Kim to enter the final

Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty staged a thrilling comeback to upset world number one Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae to reach their first men’s doubles final at the Singapore Open Super 750 on Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Indian duo defeated the reigning world champions 21-19, 21-18 in a hard-fought semi-final that lasted 52 minutes to secure their first ever victory over the South Korean pair.

Satwik and Chirag were made to work hard during the competition. The Koreans held a slender 13-11 advantage at the halfway stage of the opening game, but the Indians stayed in touch and raised their level in the closing stages to turn the game around and take a decisive one-game lead.

The second match was just as challenging. Satwik and Chirag trailed 11-14 after the break as Seo and Kim threatened to force a decider. However, the Indians responded with a composed display, winning key rallies and capitalizing on crucial opportunities to regain control of the contest.

Satwik and Chirag kept their cool under pressure and closed out the match 21-18 to complete a memorable victory and become the first Indian men’s doubles pair to reach the Singapore Open final.

The Indian pair will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in Sunday’s title clash.

Earlier in the day, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were eliminated in the mixed doubles semi-finals after suffering a 16-21, 21-17, 13-21 defeat to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara. The Indian pair fought back to take the second game but could not sustain the momentum in the decider to end their impressive run in the tournament.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

30 May 2026 17:20 IST