The star Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost against the South Korean pair of Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk in the final men’s doubles competition of India Open 750 tournament on Sunday. The Indian duo won the first set and got off to a good start. However, they lost the next two to hand the South Korean pair the championship. The final scoreline read 21-15, 11-21 and 18-21.
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Satwik and Chirag started the final in style, outplaying their opponents in the first set. The Indian duo managed to take a lead of 11-9 in the first set after going neck-to-neck. The placements and powerful smashes of the Indian duo put the South Korean pair in a spot of bother as the first set went to Satwik and Chirag, much to the crowd’s liking.
However, the momentum shifted in the second set, as the South Korean duo made a comeback into the match. A bit of miscommunication from the Indians put Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk at the front foot. The Indians also made some unforced errors, handing easy points to their opponents. Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyu secured the second set 21-11, setting up a mouthwatering final set.
The South Korean team maintained their momentum in the third set too, as Satwik and Chirag fell behind early in the set. Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk maintained a gap of 4 points in the third set in the beginning. World’s number two pair reduced the gap to two points at one time, but the South Korean pair maintained their composure to ensure the match did not witness any late upsets. Finally, it was another unforced error from Chirag that handed the championship to the South Korean pair.
