Xtra Time Web Desk: Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have made it to the finals of the Swiss Open Super Series 300 in Basel. The second-seeded pair defeated the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in a thrilling one-hour and nine-minute semifinal match. The Indians won the game 21-19, 17-21, 21-17, drawing level 3-3 in their head-to-head record against the Malaysians.
In the quarterfinals, Satwik and Chirag defeated the Danish pair of Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede 15-21, 21-11, and 21-14. The Indian duo will now face China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang in the summit clash on Sunday.
In the semifinals, the Indian pair dominated the early stages of the match, leading 11-8 at the mid-game interval before extending it to 16-11. However, Ong and Teo won six consecutive points to turn things around. The Malaysian pair was just two points away from sealing the opening game, but the Indian duo won four straight points to take the game 21-19.
Ong and Teo led the second game from the beginning and closed it out at 21-17. In the decider, both pairs were neck-to-neck before the Indians won five straight points to lead at the mid-game interval. Satwik and Chirag further extended their lead to 15-8, and despite the Malaysians trying to make a comeback, the Indians held their nerve to win the decider 21-17 and secure a spot in the final.