India’s Chirag Shetty (R) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy play a point against Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin during their men's doubles semifinal match at the Thailand Open. | Photo Credit: AFP

Sat-Chi vs the Malaysians — the contest delivers more often than not.

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty infamously had an 0-8 head-to-head record against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at one point before they finally broke the curse in 2023, defeating the duo in the Indonesia Open final.

The Chia-Soh pair, World No. 2, still has an 11-6 advantage, including a come-from-behind victory in the Paris Olympics quarterfinals that broke a billion hearts.

However, when it comes to taking on Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin, another Top 10 Malaysian pair, it is the Indians who have the upper hand: the head-to-head record stands at 8-2 in their favour.

It should be noted that the first couple of wins amongst those eight came in the experimental 5x11 scoring system in 2016.

Saturday’s Thailand Open semifinals though was a classic 3x21 battle - ones which will cease to exist next year under the new 3x15 scoring format, where the top seeds Satwiksairaj and Chirag dug deep to eke out a 19-21, 22-20, 21-16 win in an hour and 22 minutes in Bangkok, advancing to their first final since China Masters 2025.

The World No. 4 pair knew what to expect from the Malaysian duo. A tactical battle with familiar characteristics - quick flat exchanges, fast hands at the net, defence which may seem ridiculous at times, and jump smashes with speeds exceeding 400 km/h.

Knowledge is one thing. Execution is another. Satwik-Chirag didn’t get off to the best start as the Malaysians’ pace and power - particularly Izzuddin’s - made the Indian duo uncomfortable.

“It’s always the same with the Malaysians or the Indonesians. They want to dominate the net. They never want us to play backcourt. So, whoever dominates the net has better chances. That’s how they started in the first game as well. They were controlling the front part and the middle court. Then, someone has to lift and whoever is lifting, the other has a 70 per cent chance of winning the point,” said Satwik.

But towards the final stages of the opening game, there were signs that the Indians had somewhat found their rhythm. Goh-Izzuddin, despite an 18-12 lead, eventually had to survive a scare as Satwik and Chirag came ever so close to generating the need for extra points.

In the second essay, there wasn’t much to separate the two pairs. The Indians stuck to their task of defending well, making the Malaysians move as much as possible and finding the vacant spots. From 16-all, Satwik-Chirag claimed three straight points but just when they may have already begun thinking of the decider, Goh-Izzuddin fought back. This time, extra points were required.

Satwik and Chirag stayed calm during a crucial 36-shot rally, which ended with two superb shots by the former. He set the point with a jump drop with Goh losing his balance and dropping to his knees before making the return. Then came the big crosscourt smash with Izzuddin laying flat on his stomach soon after an in vain dive to his right. A misdirected drive from him in the next exchange took the match to a decider.

In the third game, the Indians reeled off six points in a row from 5-all. There was no looking back after that and the lead soon stretched to eight points at 16-8, a gap too big to cover for the Malaysians.

“I was quite calm on the court, especially in the third game. After that 5-all start, we ended the first half at 11-5. That really boosted my confidence and I actually felt a lot more comfortable on the court, was able to defend, keep the shuttle in the right areas and yes, really happy with the win,” said Chirag after the match.

Satwik and Chirag have experienced some of the biggest moments of their career in Thailand. Their first Super 500 title came at the same tournament seven years ago. In 2022, they played an important role in a historic Thomas Cup triumph for India in the same nation. The Thailand Open crown from 2024 is their most recent title.

If the title drought ends in Thailand again, no one should be surprised. Especially as it may arrive after another shot in the arm - the Thomas Cup bronze medal in Denmark. “Didn’t start off the year that well. We were always in two minds. We were also not good mentally because of the poor start and as players, we are very driven. For us, losing early does bother us quite a bit and we really wanted some answers. Finally, the bronze at the Thomas Cup really boosted our confidence and here we are, playing our first final of the year. Hopefully, we can go and win the title,” said Chirag.

In Sunday’s summit clash, Satwik and Chirag face Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin. Like the Indians, the Indonesian duo has waited a while to get this far in a tournament once again. Reunited after playing with different partners in the last two years, the Carnando-Marthin pair is yet to drop a game.

The Indians have a 4-0 head-to-head advantage but this will be the first time they will take on the Indonesians in the final of a tournament.

Published on May 16, 2026