Under the lights and deep into the night at Macau Open, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lived up to their reputation as the “Brothers of Destruction,” but not before giving their fans a real fright.
The Indian men’s doubles duo, seeded second at the Macau Open Super 300, fought back from a game down and saved a match point in the second game to edge past Japan’s world No. 89 pair Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi, clinching a tense 10-21, 22-20, 21-16 victory in just over an hour.
The win, secured close to 11 pm local time, sends the world No. 9 Indian pair into the quarterfinals of the tournament. Yet it was anything but straightforward.
A sluggish start under pressure
It was evident early on that Satwik-Chirag were not quite in their usual rhythm. Trailing 5-11 at the interval of the opening game, the Indian pair struggled to read the Japanese duo’s quick exchanges and sharp flat drives. Kumagai and Nishi, ranked far lower but playing without fear, kept their attack simple and precise, forcing errors from the Indian side. The Japanese pair wrapped up the first game 21-10, stunning the Macau crowd and setting the stage for an upset.
A match point saved and a momentum shift
The second game was a different story, though it remained a tense affair. Satwik and Chirag regrouped, tightened their defense, and began to impose themselves at the net. Yet even then, Kumagai and Nishi refused to go away quietly. The Japanese pair earned a match point at 20-19, threatening to end the Indian duo’s run in the round of 16.
Satwik & Chirag: A Season of Comebacks, Close Calls and Quiet Progress
It was here that Satwik and Chirag’s big-match temperament showed. They saved the match point with a composed rally, turned defense into attack, and snatched the next three points to win the second game 22-20. The relief on their faces was clear; the contest had tilted in their favour.
Sealing the decider
With momentum back, the Indian pair found their trademark aggression in the third game. Their big smashes, sharper serves, and improved coordination at the net helped them establish an early lead. While Kumagai and Nishi kept fighting, Satwik and Chirag’s experience told in the end, closing out the decider 21-16. The match, lasting just over an hour, turned from a potential upset into a gritty comeback that showcased why Satwik and Chirag remain among the world’s elite.
This hard-fought win sends the second seeds into the quarterfinals of the Macau Open Super 300 a key tournament in the BWF World Tour. It keeps them in contention for valuable ranking points as they look to maintain their place in the world’s top 10 and build rhythm ahead of the bigger Super 500 and Super 750 events later this season.
It also highlights the unpredictable nature of modern men’s doubles, where even lower-ranked pairs can threaten the best on a given night especially if timing and focus slip, as it did briefly for the Indian stars.
The quarterfinal won’t be any easier. Satwik and Chirag are set to face Malaysian Choong & Haikal. To keep their title hopes alive, the Indian pair will need to start sharper and avoid the lapses that almost cost them tonight.
A reminder of their pedigree
Despite the scare, Satwik and Chirag’s ability to survive such pressure moments reflects their rise in recent years from Super 100 champions to Commonwealth Games gold medallists and Thomas Cup heroes. Matches like these, gritty and unglamorous, often define campaigns as much as the straight-games wins do.
- Satwik-Chirag defeated Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi: 10-21, 22-20, 21-16
- Saved a match point in the second game before turning it around
- Advanced to the quarterfinals of the Macau Open Super 300
- Match lasted just over an hour, finishing close to 11 pm local time
As the “Brothers of Destruction” move forward, Indian fans will hope this late-night scare sparks sharper starts in the matches to come—and that the Macau Open journey continues deeper into the weekend.
