India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stunned reigning world champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the final of the Thailand Open World Tour 500, winning 21-19, 18-21, 21-18.
All through the final, as they had said they would, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty focussed on their own game and for the most part, played fearlessly. They had beaten Asian Games silver medallists and former world champions in their run to the final, perhaps fittingly, winning the title with a third upset.
India have their first doubles title at the World Tour 500 level, among the men and women. Moreover, Satwiksairaj and Chirag will now enter the top 10 in the world rankings.
Did being the only Indians in the draw put any pressure on them, they were asked. "Well, not really," Chirag said afterwards. "We were focused on the match and didn't feel any pressure." Just the best way to tie up a perfect week, really.
Here's how the match unfolded (if the blog does not load immediately, please click here):
