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India's top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty will square off against second seeds Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the Indonesia Open 2023 final on Sunday (June 18).
This is the first time Rankireddy and Shetty have advanced to a Super 1000 level summit clash. It comes on the back of a torrid few weeks for the World No. 6 duo.
They went winless in two matches at the Sudirman Cup last month. At the subsequent Thailand Open, their campaign came to an end in the Round of 16. At last week's Singapore Open, they crashed out in the first round. However, with their sterling performances this week, the reigning Commonwealth Games men's doubles champions have proved that their unexpected losses were just an anomaly.
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Rankireddy and Shetty have had a memorable couple of months before they hit their recent low. They won the Super 300 event at the Swiss Open in March and followed up with the gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in April.
Normal course once again resumed at the revered Istora Senayan in Jakarta after a few weeks of struggle. This week, they upset the World No. 1 and home favorites Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto 21-13, 21-13 with a sublime display in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals on Saturday, the seventh-seeded Indian pair was tested by the unseeded Korean combine of Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae before coming through 17-21, 21-19, 21-18. The tenacious performance will stand them in good stead ahead of their clash against reigning world champions Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik on Sunday.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik: Head-to-head and prediction
Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik have thoroughly dominated their rivalry with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, as evident from their perfect 8-0 lead over the Indian pair in their head-to-head.
Only four times in eight meetings have the Indians snatched a game from their formidable opponents. Their most recent face-off was at the Sudirman Cup in May, where the Malaysians ran away to a 21-18, 21-19 victory.
Chia and Yik have emerged as one of the top men's doubles teams in the last couple of years. Their glittering resume comprises a prized Tokyo Olympic bronze medal, 2022 World Championships gold, 2022 Asian Championships silver and a 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medal among their biggest accomplishments.
Interestingly, the World No. 3 duo are searching for their first title of the season after finishing runners-up at the India Open in their only other final appearance this year.
Chia and Yik have made it to the final this week at the Indonesia Open after a tough fight against the unseeded local pair of Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan in the semifinals. The Indonesians held a match point before succumbing to a 21-12, 21-23, 13-21 defeat in 57 minutes.
It remains to be seen if the long match has any effect on the Malaysians when they take the court against the Indians. The world champions will definitely hold the edge by dint of their exceptional pace and superior record against Rankireddy/Shetty.
However with their confidence back, the Indians will go all out to create history at the iconic Istora.
Indonesia Open 2023, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik: Date and time
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty and Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik will clash in the men's doubles final at the Indonesia Open 2023 on Sunday in the fourth match of the day on Court 1.
Date: June 18, 2023
Time: Approx 3 pm local time; 1.30 pm IST
Venue: Jakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia Open 2023, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Indonesia Open final will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. It will also be shown live on the Jio Cinema app.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV, too.
Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
