NEW DELHI: On Sunday, June 18, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history by being the first Indian doubles team to win a championship at a Badminton Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta. The World No. 6 pair, who took home a bronze at the World Championships and a gold at the Commonwealth Games last year, overcame Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yika in a thrilling two-game match in Jakarta.
The fact that Satwiksairaj and Chirag are the first Indian doubles team to win the Indonesia Open is truly remarkable; Saina Nehwal (2010, 2012), and Kidambi Srikanth (2017) previously won the singles championship in Jakarta.
Satwik and Chirag Shetty defeated Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in the men's doubles Indonesian Open final on Sunday, winning 21-17, 21-18. After a sluggish start, the Indians swiftly recovered to win the match in consecutive games. By winning their first Super 1000 championship, the Indian team also made history.
A gold medal from the Commonwealth Games, a Thomas Cup victory, a bronze medal from the World Championships, victories in the Super 300 (Syed Modi), Super 500 (Thailand and India Open), and Super 750 (French Open), are now added to Indonesia's impressive collection of victories.
The dominance persisted in the second game, where they jumped out to an early 11-7 lead before holding a six-point lead and standing on match point. The Indian duo, who were supposed to be named the new world no. 3 on Monday, faltered in the dying stages, giving up four straight points before they sealed a historic victory.
Six levels make up the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour: World Tour Finals, four Super 1000s, six Super 750s, seven Super 500s, and eleven Super 300s. The BWF Tour Super 100 level is another tournament level that awards ranking points. These competitions each provide various prize money and ranking points. At the Super 1000 level, the most points and prizes are available.
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