Hong Kong Open: Satwik-Chirag end semifinals jinx to reach first title clash of the year; to face Liang-Wang on Sunday

So far this week at the Hong Kong Coliseum, the Indians had struggled to find the right rhythm during the entirety of a match, having been taken to three games in each of their previous matches. But having taken the scenic route to get here, they cruised on the expressway in the semifinal.

Dive. Recover. Repeat. 🔁

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Over the first 12 points of the match against the right-left combo of Chen and Lin, there were barely any developed rallies. It was all fast and furious, and not necessarily clean, from both sides of the net. With the game tied at 6-6, Chirag made his signature charge forward from the backcourt after Satwik’s serve. The big man then nailed a smash from the baseline to force an error. A slice of luck at the net cord, a hand of apology, and a sharp point at the net later, the Indians took an 11-7 lead into the mid-game interval.

Then came the point of the day. At 8-11, with the leftie Lin serving, Chirag morphed into a gymnast, showing sensational flexibility and agility to keep the rally alive with four returns, each of which could have been a winner for the Taipei pair. First, with the third shot of the rally, he arched his back to make space for a forehand block with the shuttle zoning in on his torso at one point. Then he somehow dug the shuttle out from near his right foot, inches off the floor. That was followed by two full-stretch forward dives as Lin tried to catch him out with drops at the net. Having witnessed Chirag pull a rabbit out of the hat, Satwik then came up with a clever direction change on his forehand block to open up the court before Chirag closed the point out. The Indians had no business winning that rally, but they did.

That crazy exchange was followed by a run of four points for Chen-Lin as they levelled it up at 12-12, before the Indians stepped on the gas again for 15-12. The Indians clinched a 30-shot rally for 16-12 with clever use of crosscourt shots. Midway through the point, Satwik played almost a Carlos Alcaraz-esque backhand drop shot that you’d see more on a tennis court, which had Chen scrambling forward, somehow lunge to return the shuttle, and stumble out of the playing area. With spaces opening up, the Indians closed out the rally.

Those subtle changes of direction helped Satwik-Chirag reestablish their control in the game with a run of points that saw them open up a 19-14 lead. Turning the racket head at the last possible moment of intercepting the shuttle is a ploy that Satwik had earlier in the year called a little bit of mixed doubles kicking in.

The opening game was sealed by a deft touch from Chirag on return of serve, before Satwik’s big smash from the baseline setting up the steeper smash winner for Chirag at the net.

It was Chen-Lin who made a bright start to the second game, for a 5-3 lead. Satwik, after a couple of well-judged leaves, was guilty of rare indecision as he thought about leaving the shuttle before changing his mind at the last moment. The Indians, however, quickly caught up at 6-6, thanks to a drive serve from Chirag that was unreturned.

Chen-Lin still kept their noses ahead in the quick, flat exchanges to open up a 10-7 lead, with Chen especially taking charge at the backcourt. Errors from the serve have been a problem area for Chirag and Satwik, mostly due to the high serves, but sometimes even the variations they try in terms of going low or playing the long flick; it was the latter that went wrong for Satwik as Chen-Lin went into the mid-game interval with a 11-9 lead.

But the Indians once again took charge after the break. A mega smash from Satwik forced an error from Chen as the Indians closed the gap down to 11-12 before a flat exchange helped them level the game at 12-12. Satwik isn’t usually the kind to overly celebrate winning a point mid-match, but even he was left pumping his fist at 13-13 after he played a fully side-on point from the net, standing parallel to Chirag as coach Tan Kim Her wanted them to. A couple of service errors from Chen didn’t help the Chinese Taipei cause and their challenge soon faded as Satwik-Chirag reeled off six straight points from 15-15 to seal the deal.