French Open Finals 2024 highlights: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claim title in just 36 minutes

What @Shettychirag04 & @satwiksairaj are doing for Indian Badminton is something more than Incredible.

French Open Champions 2024 ?

Hopefully more recognition to the sport and both of them for people to realise how big a win this is for Indian Sports ??#FrenchOpen2024

— PRANNOY HS (@PRANNOYHSPRI) March 10, 2024

Chirag on winning the first title of 2024 and doing it at the Olympic venue:

"Yeah, obviously it feels really sweet. Paris has always been special for both of us. We've always played some really good badminton here in Paris. It's always been like a second home for us. And yeah, I'm happy that at the test venue for the Olympics, we could get the win. 

"But still, the Olympics is six months away. Lot of tournaments before that. I would be lying if I say that I am not enjoying the win. Feels really, really good. But, like I said we have won this final, but next week there's another tournament. So I'm looking forward to that." 

??pic.twitter.com/X7ftGKatLb

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 10, 2024

Satwik on what was it like facing two big-hitters like Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan

(laughs) It was like facing Chirag and Satwik as opponents! I was thinking the same thing. The other guy is Satwik, you think how he'll smash, like how you smash, how you face it. How opponents will think when we're smashing. So I was prepared, 

All the Chinese Taipei players, they play a very hard game. I mean, we didn't take very light because they, they beat top players, World No. 2, Chinese, and they had some good run, 

So, yeah, it's all about mental thing. Even when they take good point, then we try not to think so much. They hit very hard, but they get only one point. Doesn't matter. Like, if you hit hard, slow, or whatever. So, yeah, we prepared for that, happy that we could beat them and didn't give so much of lift for them. 

Chirag on getting ready for this pair:

"I think they've had some really good weeks coming in here, winning the German Open. This is the second final in two weeks, so I think they've been playing quite well. They've beaten some really good opposition, starting from the Chinese to the Indonesians. So yeah, they've had a phenomenal week. We knew that we were going to have a good contest and we can't take them lightly.

"They've always been a formidable pair. Maybe their ranking is not as high, but they've always played some really good badminton. And yeah, I'm happy that we could take that first game. A bit jittery in the second. But eventually, I'm happy that we could take that second game as well." 

Satwik on the celebratory dance. 

"It's a habit for us now, it all started from Thomas Cup. It's been a while since we danced after finals. Three finals back to back we lost and now fourth final, we wanted to do well.  We didn't want to think so much about it, and just go there and have fun, let them earn the points and the match.

"We were very confident, we wanted to give 100 percent. Win or lose, doesn't matter. We wanted to enjoy. Even Mathias Boe was telling us in the second game when we were down, 'Have fun, that's okay to lose 1-2 points here and there. We got a rhythm then the whole momentum changed."

Watch ??#SatwiksairajRankireddy breaks into a jig after #SatChi won the #FrenchOpen2024 title on Sunday in 36 exhilarating minutes.

(VIDEO via @BAI_Media)https://t.co/vQ7dc3UCWi pic.twitter.com/xRrUe1NZPS

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) March 10, 2024

After their defeat in Delhi at the India Open final, the disappointment was evident but Satwik and Chirag kept their perspective. For a duo who have had a stellar record in finals, losing three on the trot stretching back to China Masters last year, was an anomaly. And they have ended the run in style, without dropping a game all week in Paris. A fine rehearsal for Paris 2024 at the Olympic venue.

And here's a overview of what the magnificent Adidas Arena venue looks like from outside: 

The #FrenchOpen 2024 tournament is a crucial badminton event for #SatwikChirag, #Sindhu, #Prannoy and other Indian shuttlers. @vinayakkm breaks down why.

(BONUS: Watch?? a drone shot of the venue)
https://t.co/cKZO9kTpao pic.twitter.com/7P2sDXS6Py

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) March 5, 2024

French Open love story for SatChi 

Finalists 2019, a breakthrough event for them as they defeated some big names.

Winners 2022, establishing themselves as one of the best, rising through the ranks.

Winners 2024, reiterating that they are the best men's doubles pair in the world right now.

Shortest final of the day!!!! It takes Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty just 36 minutes to claim the French Open title with a 21-11, 21-17 scoreline. This is their first title of the year after making it to three finals. 

This is the second time they have won the French Open title! 

That umpiring decision seems to have fired up the Indians. Especially Chirag. Usually animated on the court anyway he has been pumped up extra good in the last few exchanges. A 17-14 lead after trailing at the interval.

And the Indians are suddenly ahead in the second game as well! WOW! 

What a comeback here! The second game could have gone a lot differently if the pair had allowed their anger at a contentious call from the chair umpire (about a double hit) get under their skins. Mathias Boe had some sharp words for the umpire. But the Indians moved on quickly.

THe purple-haired Lee seems to be the biggest threat for the Indians. He is taking charge of proceedings in this little phase as the Taipei duo go up 10-8. A controversial call there as the chair umpire calls fault for a double hit. The commentators says Mathias Boe wasn't happy with that call, as they went into the mid-game interval.

A big smile from Mathias Boe as the camera cuts to him after the rally at 7-7. Good service exchange and the Indians then rain down smashes on the TPE pair. Satwik first, Chirag to kill the rally. Plan A, that.

The last point comes from the Taipei pair making an error with a short serve. Before that, they had erred from the baseline by letting the shuttle drop thinking it was heading out, then realising it wasn't and making a half-hearted attempt to return but only finding the net. 

And it's the TPE pair who are the first to 5 points here.

It's been a much better start to the 2nd game but Lee-Yang. This is the high tempo game they were expected to play from the start, but now have a footing. The Indians are being forced to defend much more.

Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan won the first point of the second game with a deathly smash from the net cord, sending a message that they were in no mood to take a defeat lying down! 

And in the blink of an eye, they're up 1-4 in the second game. 

It took the Indians just 15 minutes to claim the first game 21-11, They were fast and furious with their shots. But after the game ended, coach Boe is quick to tell them to stay on their feet and not get carried away. Then, as he has been telling them all week, he reminds them: "First goal is five points." 

It's been one-way traffic since the Indians hit the 5-point mark. A 11-5 lead in the interval, now up to 16-9. The TPE pair did make a superb comeback in their semifinal 2nd game against Hoki-Kobayashi but that seems unlikely at this point of the opener, the Indians cruising

The Taipei pair were going blow for blow with the Indians at one stage at 5-5. Then, in the blink of an eye, the Indians were leading 11-5 in the mid-game interval, powered by some excellent attacking play from the Indians.  

And before the Lee-Yang can catch their breath, the scoreboard reads 14-7 in favour of the Indians.

One of the things that Mathias Boe kept saying in the semifinals to Satwik-Chirag was to focus on a five-point block. 'First to 5 points', 'first to 15 points'... and today the Indians are the first to 5 in the opening game, going up 5-4 after sharing the first 8 points.

The Indian pair starts us off, but they drop the point and the service ends. The Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan reciprocate the favour, This continues for a while till the Indians take a 5-4 lead in the first game. Then it's a silky half smash from the tall Satwik that gives them the first definitive lead of the first game. 

SatChi 6-4 Lee-Yang

Here we go! An exciting clash coming up 

Satwik-Chirag's French Open love affair: 

Semifinals in 2018

Finalists in 2019

Winners in 2022

Back in the finals in 2024, can they win their 2nd title here in Paris?

World No. 1 doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated South Korea’s Seo Seung Jae and Kang Min Hyuk in the men’s doubles semifinals at the French Open Super 750 tournament in Paris.

Earlier, Lakshya Sen was defeated after being pushed into a decider in his men’s singles semi-final against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The Indian had edged ahead just in time to claim the first game 22-20, but was outplayed by his Thai opponent in the second game. After taking an 11-2 lead in the second game, Vitidsarn won the second game 21-13 to force a decider. In the third game, he was outplayed by the world champion to lose the match 22-20, 13-21, 11-21.

Satwik-Chirag will have another in-form pair in front of them on Sunday. Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan are unseeded, but don’t let their ranking of No 16 fool you. Lee is a former top-10 player with Lee Yang (one half of Olympic Champion pair) and along with his current partner Yang, he stormed to the title at German Open last week, writes Vinayakk Mohanarangan.

Carrying on their form from Germany, they have had another memorable week. Lee-Yang have defeated two former world No 1s in Wang Chang-Liang Wei Keng (second seeds) and Muhammad Rian Ardianto-Fajar Alfian (seventh seeds). On Saturday, they packed of former World Champions Yugo Kobayashi-Takuro Hoki (sixth seeds), coming back from 13-19 down in the second game to win in straight games. The Taipei duo play an all-out attacking game and are in red-hot form.

Hello and welcome to our liveblog of the French Open final, where India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action shortly.