Chirag Shetty and Saisatwik Ranki Reddy saved the blushes for the Indian squad that participated in the European circuit of the BWF world tour last week when the dynamic duo won the men’s doubles title at the French Open. No other Indian player reached the semifinals at the Danish or the French Open and the team would have returned with not-so-pleasing performances.
Chirag and Saisatwik were in devastating form at the French Open. A week earlier at the Danish open, they had lost in the quarterfinals to their nemesis Aaron and Soh Wooi Yik 16-21/19-21 for the umpteenth time. In fact today amongst the top 10 pairs this Malaysian pair is the only one the Indians have not defeated.
So they came to Paris hungry for the title. And the hard work they have been doing under coach Mathias Boe was clearly evident as both Chirag and Saisatwik looked leaner and indeed, meaner, on the court.
Specially Saisatwik who now does not have an inch of fat in his body was moving around the court as if on ball bearings.
At the French Open, they started their campaign with a 19-21/21-9/21-13 win over the Popov brothers of France. The next round saw a Malaysian pair routed 21-16/21-14. Now a litmus test awaited them in the shape of top-seeded pair from Japan, Hoki and Kobayashi. The Indians won 23-21/21-18.
This was a superb performance against a very experienced and aggressive pair and it was here that one could see that the court coverage was better and so was the controlled aggression by the Indians.
What was really surprising and stunning was that Saisatwik was playing more at the net, normally the domain of Chirag. And Chirag was happily smashing away scorchers from the baseline. This clearly showed the shrewd hand of Mathias Boe as he was clearly making both the players into allrounders, to be able to play any role required on the court.
In the semifinals, the Koreans Choi Sol Guh and Kim Won Ho kissed the dust at the determined feet of Chirag and Saisatwik 21-18/21-14.
The duo carried this destructive mood into the finals against the Chinese Taipei pair Lu Chiang Yao and Yang Po Han. The two were meeting for the first time.
Racing to a 7-2 and 9-4 lead, halftime saw them lead 11-5 in the first game. The tactics of the Chinese Taipei pair were clear, they wanted to push Chirag to the baseline where they thought he would not be effective. But this was a new Chirag who clearly relished his role from baseline and hammered away with glee.
And astonishing was also the fact that Saisatwik was proving he was equally adept at the net. Indians won 21-13 outclassing the opponents.
In the second game, the Indian duo once again raced to an 11-5 lead with comfort. But from here came a determined effort from Lu and Po Han as with some really fierce and fast-hitting body pushes and parallel strokes they matched the Indians equalising many a time.
Here the short Yang Po Han was really effective and played the vital role of seeing his side actually lead 19-17.
Of course, they were aided by Chirag making a few mistakes as he played in a hurry. And Saisatwik was faulted for serving above the waist. But that was all as they steadied their game and a flurry of smashes saw them home 21-19. The mantra of Boe, attack, attack and attack was really highlighted.
This is the second major title for Chirag and Saisatwik. They won the Thailand open last year. French Open had been a good hunting ground for Indians, down the years.
Vimal Kumar won singles here in 1983/84 while Partho Ganguli/Vikram Singh won doubles in 1983. Siddharth Jain won in 2000 and Abhinn Shyam Gupta won the 2001 title.
Mathias Boe, who is a serious-looking man not giving in to excitement or smile much, was really happy with his wards. " They should really be proud of what they have achieved this week. It was not easy. They patiently built up the attack and showed much control. It was not just attack that they were excellent in but overall control was good."
“I think this has been a very good year for them. If they continue this way there is no reason why India cannot have number one rankers in the world. I am sure lots of new kids in India will start playing doubles."
And the ever-vigilant and performance-oriented coach is already plotting and planning his next moves.
“There is always room for improvement. I have seen areas where more work is required. We will hit the courts as soon as we get back to India," said the coach.
Former chief coach Vimal Kumar said “This is without a doubt a most memorable performance. This shows that we are on right track in men’s doubles too. Our training system is robust. Mathias Boe is doing a great job. His contract is coming up for renewal and I hope BAI retains him come what. He is a great asset. In the semifinals and finals, Chirag and Saisatwik were really hot and sizzling. Their defence and attack are flawless. Some tactical things they will learn with experience."
“It is nice to see doubles taking prime place. But no doubt this has been a great day for Indian badminton," he continued.
“This year has been extraordinary for these two. CWG gold, Thomas cup gold world championship bronze and now this title. They will be eyeing the world tour finals this year."
Vimal also said that these two may well be the favourites for the All-England next March.
The rest of the players could have done better. Lakshya Sen after nose surgery still had a decent foray in Denmark where he beat Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the first round 21-16/21-12.
He then beat teammate Prannoy 21-9/21-18, who had defeated the dangerous Chinese Zhao Jin Peng in the round prior.
Kidambi Shrikanth beat NG long Angus 17-21/21-12/21-14 but lost to Loh Kean Yew 13-21/15-21.
In the French open Kidambi defeated Lakshya Sen 21-18/21-18 but lost to Rasmus Gemke 19-21/21-12/21-19.
In the ladies’ singles, Saina Nehwal was the only entry from India in both tournaments. At the Denmark Open, she lost the first round to Yvonne Li who won 13-21/21-17/21-19. In Paris, Saina lost to Zheng Yi of china who won
21-17/19-21/21-11.
But special mention is to be made on the young pair of Teressa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand. In France, they lost a very close match to a much more experienced pair from Thailand Kititharakul and Rawinda, the sixth seeds, 21-23/20-22 in the first round in a touch-and-go game.
In Denmark, they played the same pair again and lost 21-23/13-21. The Indian pair is tactically strong and plays the typical style of doubles. But, they need to put in more muscle, which could well be the answer to many questions if they are to follow in the footsteps of the decorated Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnapa.
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