At the Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu, South Korea, on Sunday, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty performed a quick but rhythmic “Gangnam Style” horse dance to the cheers of the crowd. The TV commentator playfully remarked, “That is up north,” before stating, “It doesn’t matter,” referring to the Seoul district that PSY’s 2012 K-pop hit had summed up and the southern city of Yeosu in where they were.
Even if a win cannot be planned, triumph celebrations can. In 62 minutes, the Indian team defeated the world No. 1 Indonesian team of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto to win the Korea Open men’s doubles final and clinch the BWF World Tour Super 500 competition.
It was Rankireddy and Shetty’s fourth victory in 2023, three of which came on the BWF World Tour in addition to the Asia Championships victory. They have been on a tear this year.
After accruing 9200 ranking points for the victory, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champions, who have only become better, may rise from their current position of No. 3 in the globe. After winning the Indonesia Open last month, they became the first Indian pair to win a Super 1000 event, the highest level of competition on the tour. They had previously won the Swiss Open in March.
Alfian and Ardianto built big leads of 8-3 and 11-5 while operating in cruise control. Rankireddy and Shetty were behind 9-19 because the Indonesians’ presence at the net had unnerved them, their attacking strategy had been neutralised, and their haste to score had resulted in mistakes.
When they abruptly turned on, the crowd’s ‘come on India’ chants had already subsided. They came back to 16-19 and then preserved a game point by attacking more effectively and being more patient to draw errors.
Even though Rankireddy’s touch into the net gave the Indonesians the victory, the tide had turned. The Indians never relinquished the advantage in the game after going up 4-3 in the second. While maintaining flat shots, they changed the pace and placement. The Indonesians lost confidence in their strategy.
The Indonesians were no longer sure of their game. A great rally was won to go 8-6 up as Rankireddy’s aggression and Shetty’s defensive skills combined to seal the game 21-13 and draw level.
In the decider, Alfian and Ardianto displayed improved anticipation, but Shetty and Rankireddy were in command. After a stunning rally, the scores dropped to 11-9 from 7-3, but outstanding recovery shots kept rallies going and the points coming, allowing the Indians to cruise to victor