Denmark Open: Satwik/Chirag go down fighting to World Champions in quarters

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Pic/AP, PTI

India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited the BWF Denmark Open in the quarterfinals, losing to reigning World Champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in straight games.

The Indian pair, 7th in the BWF Rankings, went down 16-21, 19-21 in the 41-minute encounter. Satwik and Chirag trail 6-0 on head-to-head going into the match but could not score their first victory against the Malaysian pair ranked 4trh in the world.

In a match in which the two teams figured in 77 rallies of which the Malaysian pair, which won the men's doubles title in the World Championships in Tokyo, won 42 while the Indians claimed 35.

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After the initial exchange of points, the Malaysian pair went ahead from 3-3 to open a 6-4 lead. The Indians brought down the margin to 10-8 and then surged ahead to 12-8.

Satwik and Chirag came close again at 14-12 but the Malaysian pair maintained their upper hand as they went on to win 21-16.

The second game was closer as the two pairs went neck-and-neck till 10-9 before the Indians opened a gap at 13-9. But the Malaysians levelled scores at 13-13 and went ahead at 18-15 and extended it to 20-18 as they went on to win the game at 21-19 to secure their berth in the semifinals.

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