Malaysia: The Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended as runner-up of the Malaysian Open suffering a defeat against China's Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng on Sunday.
The Indian pair started the fixture positively and bagged the first set by 21-9. They played some brilliant strokes to pocket the first set with ease. However, they lost the momentum in the second set and the opposition emerged triumphant in the first set. China's Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng won the second set by 21-18. The Chinese pair took forward the winning momentum in the next set as well and won it with a scoreline of 21-18 to clinch the fixture.
In the third and deciding set of the match, Satwik and Chirag made a solid start with a lead of 10-3. However, the Chinese pair reduced their errors and started scripting a comeback. The scoreline was soon 12-10 and they maintained the lead for a while. Liang then pulled off a brilliant crosscourt drop shot, to take a 20-16 lead. The Indian duo saved one match-point but the Chinese pair didn't allow the Indian to make a comeback in the game and foiled the fixture.
Satwik and Chirag, who were recently awarded the Khel Ratna, the country's highest sporting honour, have been playing brilliantly in 2023 and their terrific form took them close to a tournament title once again.
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