Satwik-Chirag pair makes winning comeback
Singapore: India's star men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a strong return to the court with a straight-game win, even as Lakshya Sen's campaign came to a painful end at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Wednesday.
Playing their first competitive match since pulling out of the All-England Championships in March due to Chirag's back injury, the Indian duo showed no signs of rust as it won in straight games. The former world No. 1 pair defeated Malaysia's Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal 21-16, 21-13 in just under 40 minutes in the opening round.
It was their second win against the world No. 41 Malaysian pair, as the Indian duo, currently ranked 27th in the world, looked sharp and confident throughout the encounter.
The win comes after a period of setbacks for the pair, who had also missed the Sudirman Cup earlier this month. While Chirag was recovering from his back issues, Satwik had been dealing with health concerns.
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