CHENNAI: The gun duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinal of the season-opening Malaysia Open (Super 1000) in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. The usually ebullient partnership calmly went about their business before despatching locals, Yew Sin Ong and Ee Yi Teo, 26-24, 21-15 across 50 minutes. They will next face South Korea's Won Ho Kim and Seung Jae Seo for a place in Sunday's final.
Just after the final point played itself out in the match's second stanza — an unforced error by a Malaysian racquet after a short rally — the Indian pair shook hands without much gusto. Another match ticked. A chore completed. Going into the semifinals to kick-start a year just after the Olympic-sized disappointment in Paris.
Post their below par return in the French capital last August, they took some time out (this is only their second competition and first since the China Open last November) to heal. They also parted ways with Mathias Boe, who had made the pair an almost all-conquering, always hungry machine capable of owning most badminton arenas around the world (it was under his watch that the pair became World No 1 apart from helping the country win the Thomas Cup in 2022).
Just after the Olympics, when the true elite come back into competition, it can be a bit so-so for multiple reasons. One, because they have to stop ruminating about the past and look towards the future. Two, the body and mind can take some time to go again after the familiar but unforgiving four-year cycle of pain in exchange for ultimate glory.
When viewed through that prism, the top Indian doubles pair can already be pretty happy with how they have started the season. It's what they said after they ousted a Malaysian pair for a second straight day. "I don't think we could have started on a better note," the pair told BWF after the win on Friday. "We want to go deep into the tournament."
It's also important for the pair to notch up these not insignficant early wins as they begin their second innings under Tan Kim Her, the coach who played a big role in getting Sat-Chi together before the 2016 Olympics.
"We have worked with him in the past," Shetty had said after their pre-quarterfinal win on Thursday. "He got us to a level where we could challenge the best in the world. Really happy to have him back. It's still early days now and good to be training under him."
The immediate goal under Her is for these two to get back into the top five (they are now ninth, a worrying fall). "After the Olympics, we didn't play a lot of tournaments," Shetty said. "The goal is to go as far as possible in this tournament and get into the top five."
Rankireddy was even more intimate when asked about Her's impact on their journey. "If he's not there, there's no Sat-Chi."
What they did well on Friday was to win the interchanges at the net apart from building up an impressive head of steam in the second game. Post the interval, they bullied their opponents into submission. It's when they are at their best — quick death.
The key to that was to win the opening game, something Rankireddy alluded to. "It's always like that with them," he said. "First game is always crucial with them, whenever we played... so we were leading 19-16 but they came back. Then the crowd supported them but we were prepared for that. We were very positive till the end."
No balm can be strong enough for the duo to forget the heartache of going down against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarterfinals at Paris but a title is a title and it could be a necessary baby step for the pair as they aim to get back on track.