India’s premier men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty fell agonisingly short of a title as they lost to China’s Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the final of the Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Sunday.
Narrow defeat in final
The world No. 9 Indians started strong by taking the opening game but eventually went down 21-19, 14-21, 17-21 in a tense 61-minute summit clash. It was their first final appearance in 16 months, since winning the Thailand Open last year, and the loss ended their flawless record in Super 500 finals.
Strong season continues
Satwik and Chirag, who claimed back-to-back World Championship bronzes, came into the match with a 3-6 head-to-head record against Liang and Wang. They had beaten the Chinese pair at the Paris World Championships but were unable to repeat the feat here, conceding an early 2-11 deficit in the decider.
Fighting spirit on display
The Indian duo showed resilience, saving three match points before succumbing to the sixth-ranked Chinese pair. “Been a good week, especially after the World Championships a week later and here we are playing a final,” Chirag said after the match.
Lakshya in singles final
India still has hope for a title in Hong Kong, with Lakshya Sen set to play for the men’s singles crown later in the day against China’s Li Shi Feng.
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