Korea Open Highlights: India’s Men’s Doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made it to their first-ever semifinal at the Korea Open. The World No.3 duo defeated Japan’s fifth seeded Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-14, 21-17 in the quarterfinal of the Super 500 tournament on Friday, 21st July 2023.
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The game started off with the Indian pair 2-5 down initially. The World No.3 pair soon took the lead with three successive points. From 5-5, The Indian pair began to dominate. They took the next five points on the trot and went into the interval with a 11-6 lead.
Their dominance continue after the interval as they raced away to a 15-6 lead. Chirag Shetty soon made a net-error that gave the serve back to the Japanese duo. Kobayashi and Toki tried to mount a comeback with four straight points. But it wasn’t enough as the Indian pair broke their momentum and with a terrific attacking display sealed the first game comfortably 21-14.
The second game was a much closely fought one. The Japanese pair initially led 5-2. The Indian pair levelled the scores 6-6 and a mini battle ensued between both the pairs. Just before the interval, the Indian pair upped their game as with three straight points they entered the interval with a 11-9 lead.
Like the first game, it became difficult for the Japanese pair to make a comeback in the contest. The Indians showed their dominance yet again as they won the game comfortably to make their way into the semifinal.
