Indian men’s doubles pair Satwik-Jiraj (Image: ANI)
Satwiksraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached their first final of the 2026 season after defeating Malaysians Goh Sze Fai and Noor 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 top seeds, staged a stunning comeback to win 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 in a thrilling encounter that lasted an hour and 22 minutes. With the win, Satwik and Chirag also improved their head-to-head record against the Malaysian duo to 8-2.With PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen already eliminated from the tournament, the Indian men’s pair carried the country’s hopes in Bangkok – performing under immense pressure in front of a large and lively crowd.The semi-final began with the Malaysians taking control early as Goh and Izzuddin took a 3-1 lead in the opening match. Satwik and Chirag recovered to level the scores at 7-7, but some communication lapses allowed the Malaysian pair to regain momentum. Goh and Azzedine entered the mid-game period with a narrow lead and later extended their lead to 18-12.
Although the Indians came back from behind with four straight points, the Malaysians held their nerve to conclude the first match with a score of 21-19.
The second match turned into a high-intensity battle with both pairs repeatedly exchanging momentum. This time, Satwik and Chirag seemed much calmer, overcoming the coordination problems that had bothered them earlier. A crucial four-point explosion helped the Indians take an 11-9 lead at halftime.After the break, the Malaysian duo responded strongly and regained control for a short period, but Satwik and Chirag responded strongly to take the lead again.
Even after the Indians had two points in the match, Goh and Izzuddin made both saves to tie the score at 20-20, leading to a tense finish.The final moments witnessed one of the most exciting encounters of the tournament, characterized by relentless attacking exchanges and brilliant defense from both teams. Ultimately, Satwik settled the game with a perfect winner that the Malaysians could not reach, giving the Indians a dramatic 22-20 win.Riding on the momentum of the second match, the Indian duo took control of the deciding set through aggressive play and better control of the net. They stayed ahead 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 Indonesians Liu Ruli Karnando and Daniel Martin or Chinese players He Jie Ting and Ren Xiangyu in the title fight.
