BANGKOK: 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 2325 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.
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 Indonesian duo put the Indians under the pump immediately, with a 4-1 lead, and continued to take the game away from them despite a brief comeback, as they took the first game 21-12.
However, Satwik-Chirag gave Carnando-Marthin a real run in the second game, with the game going deep at 20-20.
It was quite a nervy climax at the end, as Marthin’s decisive kill shot gave them a sizable advantage, which they finally converted.