Satwik-Chirag Stun World No. 1 Alfian and Ardian to Win Korea Open for the First Time

Indian men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stunned world No. 1 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia to win the Korea Open 2023 title in Yeosu, Korea on Sunday.

Rankireddy and Shetty, the 2022 Asian champions, came back from a game down to win 17-21, 21-13, 21-14 in a thrilling final.

This is the third Super 500 title of their career, and their third BWF World Tour title in 2023.

The Indian pair started the match well, taking a 7-4 lead in the opening game. However, Alfian and Ardianto fought back to take a 11-7 lead. The Indonesians continued to dominate the game and eventually won it 21-17.

Rankireddy and Shetty came back stronger in the second game, taking a 10-4 lead. The Indians maintained their lead and won the game 21-13.

The third game was a close contest, with both pairs trading points. However, Rankireddy and Shetty eventually took the lead and won the game 21-14.

With this win, Rankireddy and Shetty have made a strong statement ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Here are some key takeaways from the final:

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showed great resilience to come back from a game down and win the title.

The Indian pair were clinical in the second and third games, and they were able to exploit the weaknesses of their opponents.

Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto were the better team in the first game, but they could not sustain their momentum in the later games.

The Indian pair will be looking to continue their good form in the upcoming tournaments.