Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Knocked Out in Malaysian Open Semifinals

Dhaka (The Uttam Hindu):Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s run at the Malaysian Open ended in the semifinals on Saturday. The seventh-seeded Indian men's doubles duo was defeated by South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-Jae, who triumphed 10-21, 15-21 in just 40 minutes, bringing an end to India’s challenge in the tournament.

"They played well," Satwik said. "We had seen them perform well earlier in the tournament and were prepared. But today, they didn’t give away any easy points and made us work hard for every one." Despite the disappointment, Satwik added, "We followed our game plan, but credit to them. It was still a good tournament for us."

Currently ranked ninth in men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag were on the backfoot from the beginning, trailing 6-11 in the first game, which they lost in just 19 minutes. In the second game, the Indian pair fought back and led 11-8, but they couldn’t sustain the momentum and eventually lost the match. “We started to be calmer in the second game, but credit to them. Maybe we gave away a few easy points,” Chirag reflected. Kim Won-ho, who won a mixed doubles silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Seo Seung-Jae, the reigning world champion in both men’s and mixed doubles, proved to be a dominant force in this semifinal clash. Satwik and Chirag had finished as runners-up at last year's Malaysian Open, but this year, they were unable to replicate that success. Earlier in the tournament, Olympians Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy were also eliminated, failing to make a significant impact. The India Open, set to begin in Delhi on Tuesday, will give these stars another chance to shine.