Indian men’s doubles pair Satwik-Chirag (Image: ANI)
Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into their first final of the 2026 season after losing to Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in a thrilling semi-final at the Thailand Open Super 500 in Bangkok on Saturday.The world No. 4 Indian pair, who entered the tournament as the top seeds, staged a remarkable comeback to win 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 in a thrilling encounter that lasted one hour and 22 minutes. Satwik and Chirag also improved their head-to-head record against the Malaysian duo to 8-2 with the win.With PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen already out of the tournament, India’s men’s doubles pair carried the nation’s hopes in Bangkok – performing under immense pressure in front of a packed and energetic crowd.The semi-final started with the Malaysians taking control early as Goh and Izzuddin went 3-1 up in the opening game. Satwik and Chirag recovered to level the scores at 7-7, but several communication lapses allowed the Malaysian pair to regain momentum. Goh and Izzuddin went into the mid-game break with a narrow advantage and later extended their lead to 18-12.Although the Indians mounted a late comeback with four straight points, the Malaysians held their nerve and closed out the first game 21-19.The second game turned into a very intense battle with both pairs repeatedly exchanging momentum. This time, Satwik and Chirag looked much more composed and solved the coordination problems that plagued them earlier. A decisive four-point burst helped the Indians take an 11-9 lead into the break.After the break, the Malaysian duo defended strongly and briefly regained control, but Satwik and Chirag responded aggressively and went ahead again. Even after the Indians took two game points, Goh and Izzuddin both saved to tie the score at 20-20, forcing a thrilling finish.The closing moments produced one of the most exciting rallies of the tournament with relentless attacking exchanges and brilliant defense from both teams. Satwik eventually sealed the game with a perfectly placed winner that the Malaysians could not reach to give the Indians a dramatic 22-20 win.The Indian duo, who gained momentum from the second game, dominated the decider with aggressive play and better control at the net. They were in front for most of the final before comfortably wrapping up a memorable 21-16 win to book their place in Sunday’s final.Satwik and Chirag will now face either Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin or China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu for the title.
