New Delhi: Home favourites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down in a tense final to world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Sang Jae at India Open, settling for their second successive runners-up finish, here Sunday.
Satwik and Chirag, the Asian Games champions, lost 21-15, 11-21, 18-21 to Kang and Seo after the two pairs fought for 65 minutes in what was some breath-taking badminton at the K D Jadhav Indoor stadium.
The Indian duo, which won the 2022 edition, had finished second best at the Malaysia Super 1000 last week as well.
Satwik and Chirag always had tough matches against their Korean rivals though they boasted a 4-1 head-to-head count in five meetings coming into the match with the latest being the win at the Malaysia Open last week.
The Indians played some breath-taking rallies, displaying amazing reflexes as they kept the Korean pair under the pump with some relentless hitting in the opening game.
Chirag dazzled in the front court with some brilliant net interceptions as the duo led 11-9 and soon jumped to 19-13 after the break before pocketing the game when the Koreans netted a shot.
The Indian pair made a sloppy start in the second, falling behind 1-5 but change of pace and angled returns helped them make it 5-7 with Satwik standing tall at the front court and producing a net kill.
A couple of net errors from Chirag during flat exchanges gave the Koreans a six-point advantage.
The Koreans defended well, while the Indian pair's attack seemed to lose a bit of sting as Kang and Seo grabbed a 10-point advantage at 15-5. Kang stepped up with his serve and showed good variations. The Koreans held 10 game points and they converted in the second chance to roar back into the contest.
In the decider, the Koreans kept a high tempo with Kang flying across the front court as they lead 9-5. The Koreans didn't allow the Indians to play their attacking game.
Another exciting rally ensued with the Indians finding the net as Kang and Seo grabbed a five-point cushion at the interval.
After the change of sides, Satwik stepped up at the front court as the momentum seemed to change in India's favour with the Korean committing a service error and then finding the net.
The Koreans opted for low serve but Chirag was up to the task as they brought the equation down to two points at 13-15 soon. Satwik then sent one to the corners, while Chirag unleashed a smash as one point separated the two pairs at 15-16.
A superb low shot from forehand corner from Satwik was negated by Chirag's net error. Kang then sent one down the line to put themselves two point away from the title.
Kang found the net next, while Chirag dominated a flat exchange as it was 18-19. The Koreans grabbed two championships point when Satwik sent one wide.
It was all over when Chirag sent one to the net and fell on the floor.
An inspired Tai Tzu Ying secured her first women's singles India Open title with a dominating 21-16, 21-12 win over Chen Yu Fei, while world No. 2 Shi Yuqi outwitted giant-killer Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong 23-21, 21-17 in a tense battle to reclaim the men's singles crown.
Tai Tzu, former world No. 1 from Chinese Taipei, who is set to retire after this season, used her cross court smashes and delightful drops to outplay her Chinese rival 21-16, 21-12 in the summit clash which was a rematch of the Tokyo Olympic final.
On that evening, the Chinese had the last laugh but on Sunday Tai Tzu showed why she is revered as one of the greatest players of the game with a masterclass performance.
Earlier, Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai claimed the mixed doubles title, defeating world No. 5 duo Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China 21-16, 21-16.
Japan's Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara were crowned women's doubles champions after they beat World Championships bronze medallist Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu of China 21-12, 21-13.
