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India's top men's doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty knocked off world champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of Korea in straight games to reach the final of the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Indian pair registered their first victory over the Korean duo in three meetings, winning the semifinal clash 21-19, 21-18 in 52 minutes to reach their second World Tour final of the year, according to a release. The 2025 World Championships bronze medallists had finished runners-up at the Thailand Open earlier this year. In the semifinal on Saturday, Satwik and Chirag fought back after conceding early leads in both games against the Koreans. The Indian combination trailed 8-13 and then 13-17 in the opening game but held their nerves under pressure to clinch the game. Chirag Shetty said that even when they were trailing, he and his partner stayed calm and trusted their game plan, believing that their opponents would eventually make mistakes if they remained patient and consistent. "When we were down, we kept calm and backed ourselves because we knew if we stuck to our plan, they would crack at some point," Chirag said. The second game also saw the Indians trailing 11-14 before they clinched six straight points to take a 17-14 lead and then maintained that advantage to reach the finals. On facing Kim/Seo, Chirag added: "They have the best defense on the circuit right now. We knew we had to stay calm and steady, especially when attacking." Satwik and Chirag will now face the winner of the second semifinal between fifth seeds Mathias Christiansen and Alexander Boe of Denmark and China's Gao Jia Xuan and Wei Ya Xin. Meanwhile, the challenge of Indian mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto ended in the semifinals after a 16-21, 21-17, 13-21 loss to Japan's Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara. (ANI)
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