Thailand Open 2024 Final Highlights: Satwik-Chirag win second title of 2024, set to return to world No 1

Q. What’s the best thing about Mathias Boe as a coach?

Shetty: He’s tactically very strong and systematic. So we don’t have to worry about a plan. That’s always in place. He’s just very professional. Mathias himself was a lot more of a defensive player than us, though he was tall too. But it wasn’t smashing like us. He teaches us the use of power and skills to manoeuvre a shuttle. It’s the small tips really.

Rankireddy: In planning, he’s very smart on the court. He’s helped us play the mental game, while earlier Malaysian, Indonesian coaches were more about physical play. At that time we were stuck in the World No 7 or No 8 range. With Boe, we became No. 5 and Top 3 and finally No. 1. He stresses on small details and is disciplined and professional. For the last three years, he’s also trained us in sleeping on time, eating good food. He’s big on getting mentally stronger and being in control. On discipline, I have learnt that if he says 8.30, I try to be there at 8.29. If we are late, he will let it go one day, but next time, it will be bang-bang-bang scolding. Technically, he’s made us smarter – not do anything extra than required. Good service and receiving, and take points in the first two strokes.

More from our interview recently.

For Supanida Katethong, a superb home win. She is coached by Sindhu's former mentor Kim Ji Hyun, of course.

For Lee, a first title of 2024. He was quite candid earlier this year at India Open. 

The sword that often hangs over the head of Lee is the comparison with Lee Chong Wei, the all-time great from Malaysia for whom he has been seen as the heir. The All England triumph in 2021 added heft to the expectations, as did the Asian title in 2022 that felt like vindication for his move to be independent. But major success has been elusive since.

“As a Malaysian No 1, people always compare you with Chong Wei. So I can’t get rid of that. Only if I changed my country, but that’s impossible,” he joked. “So, it is something that I have to face for my entire career. If I fail, then I will have failed. So it’s either success or failure. I have to face this pressure.” Read more here. 

This is what the Indian pair had to tell The Indian Express in a recent interview about being world No 1.

Shetty: It feels good. Ten years back, no one would’ve thought it possible for Indians. But it was always a dream to be World No. 1. Titles are of course more important, but this just shows consistency. A lot of people on the circuit have said they never expected an Indian pairing to be No. 1 and win titles. But we can’t be satisfied even if it’s 10 weeks of completing No. 1. But we should question, Why not Indians? We don’t lack physicality, we just need ability and it’s possible to be the world’s best.

Rankireddy: Being World No. 1 is pretty cool. But it’s normal, I’m happy, but we want to stay on that rank longer. Be more consistent. We want to always win tournaments. But 100 per cent wins don’t happen, here and there we fall short. And then I get low.

Top seeds Rankireddy/Shetty ?? take to the court against Chen/Liu ??.#BWFWorldTour #ThailandOpen2024 pic.twitter.com/Zh27XAjbfE

— BWF (@bwfmedia) May 19, 2024

“Thailand Open has been a special tournament for us as we won our first Super 500 crown here and have won many more tournaments thereafter. We are hoping that this victory will start another winning run for us,” said Satwik after clinching the crown.
 
Speaking about their performance in the final, Satwik said they played their best game against their Chinese opponents. “We knew that we cannot relax even for a single point against our opponents as they fight till the end. But we played our best game of the tournament today and controlled the situation very well,” he added.

And yes, in the musical chairs that is the top spot in men's doubles, Satwik-Chirag will be BACK to world No 1 in the next rankings update.

? BWF World Ranking
? Men’s Doubles
? 21 May 2024

Rankireddy/Shetty ?? reclaims their WR #1 status after winning #ThailandOpen2024. Meanwhile, Chen/Liu ?? as the runner-up leaps up four spots to #25.

Support us at https://t.co/JpHaqTIaj3 or https://t.co/8MthwEv5lC pic.twitter.com/O42k3WkDI1

— Statminton (@Statminton) May 19, 2024

Shivani Naik: Because even a title win should be nitpicked on, like a malcontent bandit gatecrashing a jolly wedding, here's some criticism: That forehand defense of Chirag's around the ribs when opponents angle into the body, needs some smoothening. He can't help it. He is tall. But he will have to help it somehow. He is India's tall Olympic contender. 

Shivani Naik: Are those the goldest of gold medals for Satwik - Chirag? They are literally chunky and shimmering. Gold medals around the world at sports events have gone matte and subdued. But Thailand goes full glowy gold. Like the silver ones too.

Don't get us dreaming about the real Real gold in two months' time though! Like Satwik said, "one step at a time"

All smiles on the podium for Satwik-Chirag. 

“We’ve always loved playing in Thailand. There’s a special bond – we won our first event here and also the Thomas Cup. Now one more final,” said Rankireddy to BWF last night. “My first medal at junior level was here as well. We have a lot of good memories and we want to add to it.”

And they add to it today. Chirag retierates in the on court interview the same sentiment, and thanks the fans for turning up in numbers. 

#ThailandOpenSuper500 #ThailandOpen2024

Didn't drop a game all week.
Most points conceded in a game = 16.

Satwik-Chirag, dominant. ?https://t.co/P6qoQqraev pic.twitter.com/hfhdQ98oHh

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) May 19, 2024

Clockwork in orange. 21-15. 21-15. They wouldn't let the Chinese cross 15.

Shivani Naik a bit earlier: Chirag Shetty is like WhatsApp's edit button. He will send a shuttle long one rally and allow Chinese to pull close at 14-16. Next rally, he will promptly correct himself and keep the bird in bounds with same aggro. But no respite here as Chinese continue to annoy for 15-16, before Satwik buries one for 17-15.  Once again, and not last time of saying this, Win or Lose, these two Indians make badminton immensely watchable and operaic drama even during a regulation S500 final

TITLE IS HERE: A good rally in the end but the pressure is relentless. And it is the 2nd title for Satwik-Chirag of 2024!

Yeah you are not going to have too much luck defending with lifts against Satwik for long. Five title points! 

Oh dear, Chen tries a fancy reverse slice and it goes wrong. The Indias are on the brink. Shake of the heads from the Chinese coach there. 

#ThailandOpenSuper500 #ThailandOpen2024

That is as good a 1-2 punch as it could get! Chirag, despite sliding a bit, places the shuttle superbly to the deep forehand corner and Satwik puts away the kill.

Marvelous point, crucial one too.https://t.co/P6qoQqraev pic.twitter.com/fhO5eTOELQ

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) May 19, 2024

Oh dear. Don't count your chickens too soon etc. A potential turning point? Chirag had all the time in the world to make it 16-13 at the net but he rushes and sends the shuttle long. But as we have seen a few times today from both the Indians, amends are made immediately. Chirag reads the flick serve and smacks a return back. 

A warning from the umpire to Satwik for delaying the game, you'd imagine the next time a card will be out. But a couple of quick points here for the Chinese. 

Satwik wants a quick clean up of the court because of how drenched he is. Umpire says no. Strange that is. Some men do sweat a lot, you know. It is not always about gamesmanship. But we do get a wiping down shortly after. 

Shivani Naik with a quick side note: A slightly bluer shade of Mathias Boe's indigo blue jersey ought to be India's Olympic colours. It's rich indigo and looks quite fetching at least on TV.

This is a little sloppy now from the Indians, Satwik with a crosscourt error at the net. A bit too casual there. But, boy, nothing casual about the smash that comes up next. Dodge that! 

A rare long-ish rally that has gone beyond the first four shots, and Chirag's cross lift in the end goes long. Couple of quick points out of the interval for Chinese as Liu floors Chirag with a really good third shot. 

Shivani Naik: Where the Indians have done well here, and it's lovely nuance, is how they are cutting pace on the returns. Both Chen and Liu are made to jump forward as the shuttle starts dipping and takes its own tiramisu sweet time to reach them. Chirag and Satwik are just hold-pushing, like a slightest race horse's leash tug from a jockey. Indian returns on midriff shots are still shabby. But no matter. They have the lead.

You are not going to survive too much longer on defence if you given Satwik and Chirag the height to work with. Steep smashes from both of them. Good low defensive work next up and it is a 5-point lead for the top seeds heading into the interval. 

Chirag with a couple of shaky moments, first loses the footing as the Chinese take the serve back and then misreads the serve . But then makes amends quickly with a booming smash from the backcourt. 

Excellent dovetailing in the last couple of points. First Chirag with a winner at the net and then up steps Satwik to force an error. A good run of points on Chirag's serve. 

A good start to the 2nd game too by the Indians as the commentator reminds us about coach Mathias Boe's recent wedding to Taapse Pannu. 

Shivani Naik on the point to clinch the first game: THAT Satwik serve to take the opener was wickedly wonderful. The shuttle did a proper revolution & half and went diagonal. India take the opener 21-15

One game point is all the Indians needed. That turned quite quickly after the mid-game interval where the Indians were trailing by one point. Think that rally to make it 10-10 was actually really crucial in the end. 

Hah! That was a slow-motion winner! A flick serve from Satwik has Liu smashing as he backtracks and the smash is blocked into the empty corner of the court by Satwik! Game points. 

Shivani Naik: Chirag's swivel serve, Satwik's lob to the back, but coming from the Chinese side. This is cheeky, cheeky preparation, though no one's smiling in the tense clash.

Chen's power from the backcourt is quite the weapon, the tall lanky 1.9m athlete putting away winners when he gets the height to work with. A flat exchange follows and Satwik with a whipped forehand winner between his opponents. Gets the serve back. 

What a touch by Satwik at the net! Lots of cross lifts from Chinese pair, the Indians try to keep their angles straight and then Satwik steps up to the net to play the deftest of touches to put the shuttle down near the service line. 

The mini run comes to an end for SatChi as they were playing a good point but got in each other's way mid-rally and then Satwik ends up netting the shuttle with a slice. 

And SatChi have the lead back. A good review thrown in there. 

Shivani Naik writes: No Chinese pairing that makes any tournament final can be taken lightly. Ever. So Indians on their toes early, after having not played a single match over 40 minutes this week. 
Chirag is countering well, but Chinese have struck some effective lengths on their shots here. Their pushes travel deeper, and are flatter than 2-day old Pepsi, especially against the taller Indians

Liu with a sharp kill at the net and they have the lead going into the mid-game interval. Been a super contest so far. 

What a rally for 10-10! Stunning defence from the Indians after Satwik's flick serve actually put them under pressure. But they hang on, hang on, then Satwik makes the move to the net and then Chirag puts away the winner. 

Shivani Naik writes: All chess bishops and all shots going diagonal on the badminton courts right now, as canny cross placements and angles from both teams make it 7-7. Chirag and Chen using the straight down kill as variation. 
Crosses are safe and work in drifty conditions.

The Indians are struggling a bit here in the service exchanges. Liu has put them 10-7 ahead on his serve. 

Well well, the Chinese are in the lead now. Longest rally of the match so far, just under 40 shots and it ends with an error from Chirag. Thats a marathon rally compared to what we usually see. 

Chirag rushes with his forehand at the net, and the Chinese pair closes the gap. Chen gets a loose net shot from Satwik and it is put away promptly. Chirag with another rush of blood, frustrated with himself as he sends a kill long and we are all level. 

Solid start from the Indians. Once Liu got an opportunity to split the gap between SatChi but otherwise, the Indians have dominated the 1-2-3 exchanges so far. 

The spell of air castles built in gold, is broken. Now the bricks-and-mortar repairs can begin in right earnest, as a scaffolding comes up around the Olympics 2024 edifice for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

The Paris gold, which looked so imminent when they won the Asian Games last winter, is suddenly looking distant. And that might be the best thing to happen to them in the lead-up.

In the last four months, Satwik-Chirag have lost three tournament finals and ceded their World No 1 ranking to drop down to No 3. Friday saw the end of their Thomas Cup reign as India lost the quarterfinals 3-1 to China including the ace doubles’ 15-21, 21-11, 12-21 defeat at the hands of current World No 1s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. Since they are not stocks but perfectly sensible, sensitive humans, it would be wrong to say a much-needed market correction of their fortunes was underway. But these jolts will ensure their game gets fortified and refurbished ahead of the Olympics, because fundamentally, their skills are still not a complete set.

Read more by Shivani Naik here.

A few of the top pairs in the world have given the tournament a miss, and the seeded Indonesians made early exits. On Sunday, it will be a Chinese pairing that the Indians will be expected to get the better of, starting firm favourites on paper.

"Nobody can play a perfect game all the time, there will be a lot of expectations in India, but for us we are not thinking too much about winning the title. We have had past experiences. It's one step at a time, settle down and get rhythm. We will give everything here and see what happens," Satwik said. 

If they do end up winning, Bangkok will provide SatChi another title to cherish. It may not be the highest-stake match they have played even if World No 1 is on the horizon once more, the target firmly remains Paris. But the feeling of winning titles is a habit they can get used to. As Satwik put it, "We always remember the good things fondly. Thailand has more good memories than bad memories for us, even in junior and subjuniors I have done well. We want to make it more memorable tomorrow."

Chen & Liu had won two titles in 2023, China Masters and Orleans Masters. Chinese men's doubles in general is known for its fast parallel drives, so expect a fast and furious match as per usual. 

Chen & Liu are currently 29, their best rank is 22. Chen is the taller of the two athletes, about 190cm while Liu is 182cm tall. Both of them are righties, so that's a bit more familiar for SatChi even if the pair will be a bit of an unknown. 

While Satwik-Chirag haven't dropped a game, Chen and Liu have dropped one game. 

Ashwini-Tanisha have made it to the play of the day. This really was a super rally and a crucial one too eventually for the Thai top seeds.

This rally is pure entertainment! ?@HSBC_Sport#HSBCbadminton #BWFWorldTour #ThailandOpen2024 pic.twitter.com/my9YoNMtDV

— BWF (@bwfmedia) May 19, 2024

#ThailandOpen2024 ???? ?? ??? ???

4? finals will feature the top seeds, the most in 1?6? years.

In 2?0?0?8?, 4? of the 5? who made the title bouts triumphed.#BWFWorldTour pic.twitter.com/ddeIAK8ld2

— BWF (@bwfmedia) May 19, 2024

It will be their fourth title match of 2024 already. Runners-up in Malaysia. Runners-up in India. Winners in France. And now a chance to add another title in Thailand. In 2019, they reached the final after defeating the former and then reigning World Champions back-to-back. It was a giant-killing run that signaled their arrival on the big stage. Fast forward to 2024, they are one of the giants on the circuit.

#ThailandOpenSuper500 #ThailandOpen2024

SatChi back to work on a Sunday!

?Malaysia Open final
? India Open final
? French Open final (Winners ?)
? Thailand Open final

Fourth final on the BWF World Tour in 2024 for Satwik-Chirag. https://t.co/FXqFWLztZZ pic.twitter.com/XAWcPTaPLs

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) May 18, 2024

Potentially, the world No 1 ranking is in sight once again for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, but at this point on the men's doubles circuit, it's a musical chairs competition. It's changing frequently enough for it to not matter as much in the bigger picture. In the here and now, what matters is good rhythm in the lead-up to Paris Olympics. The warm fuzzy feeling that comes with winning matches consistently. 

During the Thomas Cup title defence recently, that feeling went missing for Satwik-Chirag. In what has otherwise been a fine season, they struggled for rhythm in Chengdu. And that is why reaching the final of the Thailand Open will be a timely boost. On Saturday, they produced a dominant performance against Ming Che Lu/Kai Wei Tang of Chinese Taipei 21-11, 21-12 in the men’s doubles semifinal. The World No. 3 duo will face China’s Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi in the final on Sunday, who are ranked 29 in the world. 

“(The impact) was immense,” said Chirag about their title win in 2019. “Growing up watching greats like Ahsan/Setiawan, Boe/Mogensen and Lee Yong Dae do it, we had always dreamt of winning a SuperSeries. When we actually pulled it off, we couldn’t believe it. It’s an indescribable moment for both of us and then on, we’ve been able to believe in ourselves, that ‘yes, we can achieve great things together’.”

“We’ve always loved playing in Thailand. There’s a special bond – we won our first event here and also the Thomas Cup. Now one more final,” Satwik told BWF last nigtht. “My first medal at junior level was here as well. We have a lot of good memories and we want to add to it.”

This is how Satwik-Chirag have reached the final so far, yet to drop a game. It's not the strongest of fields in Bangkok this week, and even the seeded pairs have fallen out early, so SatChi have been quite dominant. 

Satwik-Chirag, the world No. 3 duo will face China’s Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi, ranked 29 in the final starting in Bangkok at 10.30 am IST

Hello everyone, welcome to our live coverage of Indian badminton and on this fine Sunday with plenty of sporting action ahead, we look forward to familiar faces. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty  are back in the final of the Thailand Open and they are eyeing their 2nd World Tour title of 2024. SatChi on a Sunday for a fourth time this year already.