Badminton, India's Satwiksairaj-Chirag win the 2022 French Open: Key stats
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty sealed an emphatic win to claim the men's doubles title at the 2022 French Open on Sunday. The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold-winning duo trumped Chinese Taipei's Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-Han in straight games (21-13, 21-19) in the 49-minute-long final. Notably, it's the pair's first Super 750 title on the BWF World Tour. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
The Indians were off to a flying 5-0 lead in the first game and extended it to 11-5 by the break. They eventually wrapped up with a 21-13 scoreline. The second game was no different as the Indians raked in an 11-5 lead by halftime. However, the rival world number 25 rival pair staged a classic comeback but eventually fell short 19-21.
The wait is finally over for Satwiksairaj-Chirag!
In 2019, Satwiksairaj and Chirag became only the second Indian duo to reach the final of a BWF 750 event by getting to the French Open finale. They joined the 1983 French Open-winning pair of Partho Ganguly- Vikram Singh. Satwiksairaj-Chirag, however, had to be content with silver. They failed to overcome Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. The wait is over now.
A look at their journey in the tournament
Satwiksairaj and Chirag beat local favorites Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov 19-21, 21-9, 21-13 in R32. The seventh-seeded pair bested Malaysia's Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun 21-16, 21-14 in R16. They overpowered Japanese world number one Yugo Kobayashi and Takuro Hoki 23-21, 21-18. They thrashed South Korea's Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho in the semis before routing Ching Yao and Po-Han.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag own a 34-8 record in 2022
Satwiksairaj-Chirag own a 34-8 win-loss record in 2022. Prior to the French Open, the pair exited in the quarter-finals in Denmark Open a few weeks back. They also suffered a semi-final defeat in the World Championships in August. They started the year with an enthralling run at the India Open. However, they followed with second-round defeats at the All-England Open and the Swiss Open.
A look at their career achievements
Satwiksairaj and Chirag are the first Indian men's doubles pair to breach the Top 10 rankings. They are two-time bronze medallists at the Asia Team Championships (2016, 2020). They won silver in men's doubles in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, besides winning gold in the mixed team event. Earlier this year, the pair was crowned winner in the men's team event at the Thomas Cup.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag own four BWF World Tour titles
Satwiksairaj and Chirag can now boast of winning four BWF World Tour titles in men's doubles. They emerged winners at the 2018 Hyderabad Open, 2019 Thailand Open, and 2022 India Open before the French Open. The pair had concluded as the runner-up on two occasions (2018 Syed Modi International and 2019 French Open). Besides, they are six-time BWF International Challenge/Series champions.
