Satwik-Chirag pair enters final, to face China's Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi

Indias premier mens doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty entered the Thailand Open final with an easy straightgame victory over Lu MingChe and Tang KaiWei of Chinese Taipei on SaturdayAsian Games gold medallist pair of Satwik and Chirag needed just 35 minutes to beat their world No 80 opponents 2111 2112 in the semifinal match of the Super 500 tournament at the Nimibutr StadiumSatwik and Chirag have a deep relation with Thailand as it was here five years back in 2019 that they had won their maiden super 500 crown On Saturday the Indian pair inched closer to regaining the title after reaching the summit clash againThe Indian pair thus continued to make waves in the BWF World Tour after progressing to their fourth final of the season The duo had finished runnerup at Malaysia super 1000 and India super 750 before claiming the French super 750 in MarchIn the final on Sunday the world number three Indian duo the top seeds in this tournament will be up against the Chinese pair of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi who defeated Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang of South Korea 2119 2118 in the other semifinal on SaturdaySatwik and Chirag had some low returns in the last couple of tournaments The Indian pair lost in the second round at All England Championships and then missed the Asia Championships due to an injury to Satwik The Thomas Cup campaign was also not too fruitful as they lost a couple of narrow matches to top pairs The final appearance will thus provide a major boost ahead of the Paris OlympicsAlso Read Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty become world No 1On Saturday Satwik and Chirag were not really tested by Lu and Tang who played well only in patches but lacked the aggression and accuracy to trouble the Indians who were a cut above their rivalsIn the opening game Satwik and Chirag were up 30 but the Taiwanese pair managed to make it 54 before they started leaking points Errors crept into their game as they went long a number of times allowing the Indians to enter the break with an 117 leadThings didnt change after resumption as the Indians continued to gather point with their sharp placements At 1710 Chirag produced a powerpacked smash as they gained nine game points when the Chinese went out twiceThe second game began on a close note as the two pairs moves 44 to 66 Satwik also produced an ambitious behindtheback return only to spray it wide Leading 97 for the first time in the match Lu and Tang however couldnt sustain the pressure as a fast and long rally ended at the nets for the ChineseWith Lu and Tang continuing to find the going tough it was 1510 in favour of the Indians who grabbed 8 match points when the Chinese made another soft error at the netChirag then stood at the front court and sealed it with a barrage of fast returnsIn the womens doubles the fourthseeded Indian pair of Tanisha Carsto and Ashwini Ponnappa will face top seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand in the semifinals later on SaturdayWith agency inputs