Satwik and Chirag win Singapore Open 2026, end 2-year title drought with a brilliant comeback
Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : In a brilliant show, Indian badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has won the men's doubles final of the Singapore Open 2026 by defeating the Indonesian duo of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in a three-setter. The Indians managed to break their two-year long title drought with this win. The pair had defeated the formidable South Korean pair of Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the semi-finals.
After losing out in the Indonesia Open, Satwik and Chirag came out strong in the final and won their second title of 2026.
Thrilling final match
The Indonesians were all over Satwik and Chirag in the first set. They played aggressive shots and took the first set with a score of 21-18. However, Satwik and Chirag were not in a mood to give up. They staged a superb comeback in the second set by making brilliant defensive and attacking moves and equalised the set with a score of 21-15. In the final set, the Indian pair dominated from the beginning and took a healthy lead of 11-5. The Indonesians fought back for a while but couldn't break the Indian pair's focus. Satwik and Chirag secured the third set with a score of 21-16 and the title. The match was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Excellent show through out the tournament
Satwik and Chirag dropped just one set in the entire tournament, which was in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they defeated the reigning World Champions, Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae from South Korea 21-19, 21-18 and ended their 34 match winning streak.
How was the tournament journey for Satwik and Chirag:
Round of 32 - Defeated Taipei's Lee Je-hui and Yang Po-hsuan 21-16, 21-13
Round of 16 - Defeated Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita 21-18, 21-14
Quarterfinals - Defeated Malaysia's Kang Khai Shing and Aaron Tai 19-21, 21-17, 21-13
Semi-finals - Defeated Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae (South Korea) 21-19, 21-18
Final - Defeated Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (Indonesia) 18-21, 21-15, 21-16
Comeback after Thailand Open
Earlier in July this year, Satwik and Chirag lost to Indonesia's Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthine in the Thailand Open final. That loss ended their two-year wait for a Super 750 title. They had won the last Super 750 title two years back at the French Open.
