It took grit, nerve and a fearless fightback, but in the end, Miguel and Ricardo Vigario delivered a statement victory to clinch their first title as a team and announce their arrival on the senior stage.

The Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) duo outlasted experienced campaigners Caden Kakora and Jarred Elliott in a pulsating 50-minute battle to win the SA Open men’s doubles title at John Barrable Hall on April 14.

In a nail-biting high-quality clash between the tournament’s top-ranked teams, the teenage brothers showed remarkable composure, rallying from a set down to edge Kakora and Elliott 11-21, 21-16, 28-26.

Kakora and Elliott came out firing, dominating the opening set with precision and control to take it 21-11.

But with the home crowd firmly behind them, the Vigario brothers regrouped. Miguel and Ricardo seized the initiative early in the second set and never looked back, levelling the match with a 21-16 win.

The deciding game delivered pure drama.

Kakora and Elliott looked set for victory as they surged to a 19-16 lead, but the EGBA pair refused to fold, clawing their way back to level the score at 19-all.

From there, it turned into a nerve-wracking contest of endurance and belief. Neither side could break clear as the score moved to 20-all, forcing a tense tie-break.

With the match deadlocked at 26-26 and the title hanging in the balance, Miguel and Ricardo held their nerve, winning the final two points to seal a memorable triumph.

Speaking after the match, Miguel credited their composure and unity.

“We focused on keeping our composure and trusting each other. That was our main focus because we’re a team. We stay together. One point at a time and we keep working and building,” he said.

For Ricardo, the victory marks a significant breakthrough.

“This victory is massive for us. It really does start our career at senior level. Getting this championship, hopefully, we’ll get many more. It was a very tough game, but I’m happy with how we dealt with it,” he said.

Looking ahead, the brothers made their ambitions clear.

“We are very ambitious. We want to take our careers further and keep chasing those dreams. We’ve put in the work, and we want to keep building on that,” Miguel said.

In the women’s doubles, EGBA’s Amy Ackerman and her partner Johanita Scholtz from Free State claimed a 21-8, 21-10 over youngsters Yiwen Li and Chloe Lai to secure the title.

Ackerman then landed her second gold of the day when she and partner Elliott beat Kakora and Scholtz 21-18, 24-22 to win the mixed doubles final.