Bangkok, May 18:
Star Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saved four championship points before going down fighting against Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in a gripping men’s doubles final to finish runners-up at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament here on Sunday.
World No. 4 Satwik and Chirag, champions here in 2019 and 2024, looked off-colour in the opening game but showed great mental fortitude under pressure in the second to almost take the match to the decider before losing 12-21 23-25 in a 53-minute summit clash.
It was another creditable finish for Satwik and Chirag, who have established themselves as India’s most consistent doubles pair in recent years. For the Indian duo, who had missed some tournaments due to Satwik’s shoulder injury, it was a third final appearance at the USD 475,000 event and their first of the season.
They had also finished runners-up at the China Masters and Hong Kong Open last year.
Despite the defeat, Satwik was pleased with the overall progress after the duo’s return from injury setbacks.
Satwik admitted the Indian pair took time to adjust to the faster shuttles and Indonesia’s attacking game style after being outplayed in the opening game.
While the Indians returned to the podium once again, it proved to be a dream finish for Carnando and Marthin, who reunited for this tournament after two years following the latter’s recovery from a long-term knee injury that required surgery.
It was also the Indonesians’ first win over Satwik and Chirag, who had entered the contest with a 4-0 head-to-head record against them, with three of those victories coming in three-game matches.
The contest turned into a high-intensity affair marked by quick exchanges at the net and fierce front-court battles.
Chirag appeared to struggle with his serve early on as the Indians slipped to a 1-4 deficit, though they stayed within touching distance at 7-9.
The Indonesians then opened up a four-point cushion after Satwik failed to control one of Marthin’s powerful smashes.
Carnando and Marthin looked in complete control as they extended the lead to 13-8 before a couple of unforced errors helped the Indians narrow the gap.
However, a sharp smash split the Indian pair, and Chirag then pushed one wide to hand the Indonesians a five-point advantage again.
The Indians won two successful video referrals, but they were erratic and buckled under constant pressure. Chirag found the net once more as they trailed 12-17.
Satwik and Chirag struggled in the service exchanges and were undone by a string of unforced errors as the Indonesians earned eight game points and sealed the opener when Satwik pushed a return into the net.
After the change of sides, Marthin continued to dismantle the Indian defence with his brutal smashes as the Indonesians led 5-3.
A flick serve helped the Indians claw back at 5-5 and go on a run of points as they took a 7-5 lead for the first time in the match with a scything return at the net from Chirag.
The Indonesians drew level at 9-9 before a smash from Chirag and a wide return from their opponents handed the Indians a two-point lead at the interval.
On resumption, it became a contest of who blinks first as a flick serve from Chirag was punished with a thunderous smash as the Indonesians again made it 11-11 before moving ahead after Satwik found the net after a rapid-fire cross-court exchange.
There was little to separate the two pairs thereafter as the lead kept changing hands in tense service situations, with the scores locked at 14-14 to 19-19.
The Indonesians earned their first championship point with Marthin once again targeting Chirag with a fierce push.
The Indians saved it after forcing an error from Marthin to make it 20-20. Marthin then secured another championship point, only for Chirag to erase it with a sharp net kill.
A service error from Satwik handed the Indonesians a third championship point, but they failed to convert after sending the shuttle long. Another brutal attacking return from Marthin at the front court earned Indonesia a fourth championship point, but the Indians survived yet again.
Marthin produced another decisive kill shot to bring up a fifth championship point, and this time the Indonesians sealed the match when the Indians found the net.
Chirag said the pair’s confidence has grown steadily since their Thomas Cup campaign when they claimed the bronze earlier this month.