India’s celebrated men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a straight-games defeat in the Thailand Open final on Sunday, extending their wait for a BWF World Tour title to two years.
The top-seeded Indian duo went down 12-21, 23-25 against Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the summit clash of the Super 500 event in Bangkok.
The victory marked the Indonesians’ first win over Satwik and Chirag in five meetings and capped a successful reunion for Carnando and Marthin, who had spent the last two years playing with different partners.
The Indians entered the final hoping to claim their third Thailand Open crown after earlier triumphs in 2019 and 2024, with last year’s victory remaining their most recent title on the international circuit.
Despite the disappointment, Satwik remained optimistic about the pair’s progress following recent injury setbacks.
“Except for today, I am happy with the way we played this week. It is more mental than physical now,” Satwik said after the match.
“We need to believe more instead of playing 50-50 badminton. Things have started working for us and hopefully soon we will be on the winning side instead of the losing side.”
The opening game saw the Indonesian pair dominate with aggressive attacking play and relentless pressure at the net. Chirag struggled initially with his serves as the Indians quickly slipped behind, while Daniel Marthin repeatedly broke through the Indian defence with powerful smashes.
Satwik later admitted the fast conditions made it difficult for the pair to settle into rhythm.
“The shuttles were quite fast compared to the rest of the tournament and it was difficult to adjust,” he explained.
“They took us into their game style and we were always on the back foot in the first game.”
The second game, however, turned into a thrilling contest filled with rapid exchanges, fierce front-court battles and repeated momentum swings.
Satwik and Chirag showed greater control after the interval, taking an 11-9 lead and matching the Indonesians point-for-point in a tense finish. The Indians saved four championship points through sharp net play and determined defence, but errors at crucial moments ultimately proved costly.
A decisive attacking return from Marthin finally brought up a fifth championship point, and the Indonesians sealed victory when the Indian pair found the net.
Chirag said the duo’s confidence had improved significantly after winning bronze at the recent Thomas Cup.
“We didn’t start the year that well but after the Thomas Cup, we have become a lot more confident in our game,” he said.
While the defeat prolonged their title drought, the tournament still offered encouraging signs for India’s top doubles combination ahead of a packed international season.
