India fall short in Hong Kong Open finals as Lakshya, Satwik-Chirag finish runners-up
In the men's singles final, Lakshya struggled to counter the aggressive play of world No 4 Li Shi Feng.
In the men's singles final, Lakshya struggled to counter the aggressive play of world No 4 Li Shi Feng.
In the men's singles final, Lakshya struggled to counter the aggressive play of world No 4 Li Shi Feng.
India missed out on a golden chance to clinch two titles at the Hong Kong Open Super 500, as both Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished as runners-up on Sunday.
In the men's singles final, Lakshya struggled to counter the aggressive play of world No 4 Li Shi Feng and fell in straight games, 15-21, 12-21, in a one-sided contest.
It was his first final appearance since the Syed Modi Super 300 last November. However, he couldn't keep pace with a familiar rival, Li, whom he was facing for the 14th time in a long-standing rivalry dating back to their junior years. Although Lakshya held a narrow 7-6 lead in their head-to-head record, the Chinese star has dominated recent meetings, including victories at the All England and China Open this season.
"It's been a good week, especially coming back from World Championships, where things didn't go as planned. For three to four weeks, we put in good work. A lot of positives to take from this tournament," Lakshya said after the defeat in the final. "I just need to believe in myself more. I need to keep the same from day one, what I was doing, the process," he added.
Meanwhile, Satwik and Chirag, fresh off a second straight World Championships bronze, squandered a one-game lead and went down 21-19, 14-21, 17-21 to China’s Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in a tense 61-minute men’s doubles final.
"Yeah, obviously feels good. Been a good week, especially after the world championships a week later and here we are playing a final. Feels good," Chirag said. "You would want to go and win that title but I think, credit to them, they played well. There's always a next time and overall happy with the performance."
For Satwik and Chirag, it was their first final appearance in 16 months since winning the Thailand Open, and the loss ended their perfect record in Super 500 finals, having won all four they had contested earlier. The Indians, who have reached six semifinals this season, had a 3-6 head-to-head record against Liang and Wang coming into the match. They had beaten them at the World Championships in Paris.