Former World No. 1 doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended a two-year drought when they won the 2026 Singapore Open title. Since winning the Thailand Open in 2024, the pair, known as Sat-Chi, had reached four finals, but fell short each time. In Singapore, however, they overcame a one-game deficit to defeat Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the final of the BWF Super 750 tournament. Currently ranked No. 4 in the world, Sat-Chi became the first In- dians to win the doubles title at the Singapore Open. To reach the final, they had upset the reigning world champions and top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea in the semifinals.
Sat-Chi hope to win medals at the Commonwealth Games this year and the Olympics in 2028. India has won only three Olympic medals in badminton, all in women’s singles. “We want to win in every single tournament and every major event there is,” Shetty said during a virtual press conference. “We want to medal at each and every major event and like for any athlete, I think the Olympics is the ultimate goal and likewise for us.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge. [Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]