India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, progressed into the semifinals of the Denmark Open Super 750 in Odense after a fearless victory over Rahmat Hidayat and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia on Friday.
The Indians beat the Indonesian pair 21-15, 18-21, 21-16 in 65 minutes. In the first game, Chirag and Satwik were composed and dominated the proceedings. At 11-10 in the first game, a rally saw the Indian pair remain patient in the mid-court exchanges before forcing an error from Hidayat and Ardianto to extend their lead. They eventually sealed the opener 21-15.
In the second game, the Indonesian duo made a strong comeback and managed to level the match, winning the game 21-18. Although the Indian pair seemed to be struggling, they continued to fight till the end.
In the third game, both pairs managed to fix their silly errors and won each point after an average of 35-shot rally. Chirag and Satwik managed to take a lead and clinched a victory over Indonesians.
Satwik and Chirag were made to work hard in both games, but they held their nerves during crucial points, relying on their trademark aggressive net play and strong court coverage to remain in control of the game.
The duo had earlier dispatched Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei in their quarter finals on Thursday. Satwik and Chirag will head to the semi-finals.
Satwik and Chirag are chasing their first BWF World Tour title in 2025. This year, they reached the Hong Kong and China Masters finals but lost on both occasions.