In Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, world No. 1 Chinese Liang Wei keng and Wang Chang narrowly defeated India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the men’s doubles final, capping their incredible run at the Malaysia Open Super 1000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gold medallists from the Asian Games, Satwik and Chirag, lost to Liang and Wang 21-9, 18-21, 17-21 in the summit match after blowing a lead in the first game and an 11-7 lead in the decider. Both pairs had amazing strokeplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World No. 2 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty although defeated the top-ranked Chinese shuttlers in the opening game, they looked energised and captivated the crowded Axiata Arena. In the first game, the two Indian players\u2014who were just awarded the Khel Ratna Award\u2014went all out on the court, displaying intense intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wei and Chang, however, battled and did not give up, never letting Satwik and Chirag take the lead in the second game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the final match, Satwik and Chirag appeared to turn things around, taking a 10-3 lead. With the two young Indians leading the way, it appeared as though they would win the first Super 1000 competition of the season. But after the interval, the unbeatable Chinese players pulled together a string of points to deny Satwik and Chirag the victory. They kept their nerve better, moving from 14\u201314 to 16\u201314 and never looking back after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chinese duo, who appear to know how to overcome the Indian challenge that has proven difficult for many in the recent past, have already defeated Satwik and Chirag in four of their five meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was another impressive performance from the Indian duo, who had won their first Super 1000 title in the Indonesia Open in June of last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next up for Satwik and Chirag is the India Open Super 750 competition, which gets underway in New Delhi on Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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