- By Gurmeet Batra
- Sun, 14 Sep 2025 03:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Hong Kong Open: India's top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended their Hong Kong Open Super 500 campaign as runner-up after going down narrowly to China's Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the final on Sunday.
The world No. 9 Indians, who secured a second successive World Championships bronze last month, wasted a one-game lead before losing 21-19, 14-21, 17-21 to the sixth-ranked Chinese duo in a tense 61-minute summit match.
The duo marked their return to a tournament final after a 16-month gap since clinching the Thailand Open title.
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The Indians, who have advanced to six semifinals this season, had a 3-6 head-to-head record against Liang and Wang. They had also defeated them at the World Championships in Paris.
However, Satwik and Chirag failed to maintain the momentum after stealing the opener and, having conceded an unexplainable 2-11 deficit in the decider, were left chasing the game.
The opening game turned into a thriller with Satwik and Chirag fitting the Chinese pair shot for shot. Chirag released roaring smashes early on to erase a 0-2 deficit and give India a 9-8 edge. At 10-10, a wide shot from the Indians was balanced by a Liang error before another Chirag smash ensured a slender edge at the break.
The Indians went on the offensive after the break, moving to 13-11 with a series of brutal smashes. Satwik's body attack on Wang, followed by a flat, fast exchange and a sharp Chirag serve, pushed them four points clear.
The Chinese clawed back with four straight points in a tight front-court battle as the Indians saved costly net errors. A controversial call, where Wang seemed to strike the shuttle before it crossed the net, gave them an 18-17 lead, only for India to respond immediately.
Satwik's roaring smash levelled things at 19-19, and when Liang went wide, the Indians made a game point. Chirag then delivered a precise serve on the line to seal a pulsating opener.
The Chinese pair stormed back in the second game, with Wang overwhelming from the back court to open up an 8-2 lead. India closed the gap shortly through a Wang service error and a long shot, but a defect called on Satwik for a high serve and a deft Liang forehand at the net saw the Chinese go into the mid-game interval with an 11-6 cushion.
With the rise aiding them, Liang and Wang's smashes carried extra sting as they pushed the lead to 13-7. A sharp serve and follow-up smash allowed the Indians to decrease the margin to 10-13, before Chirag's block-and-net play brought it down to 12-14.
However, a couple of mistakes from Chirag gave the Chinese breathing space at 17-12. A booming hit then handed them six game points, and they balanced the match when Satwik pushed one wide.
The acceleration firmly stayed with Liang and Wang in the decider as they raced to a 5-0 lead, leaving Satwik and Chirag racing for answers. A service fault on Liang briefly stopped the run, but the Chinese recovered control quickly, capitalising on India's coordination misconceptions to move 8-1 ahead.
When Chirag found the net, Liang and Wang went into the final break with a commanding 11-2 advantage. The Indians mounted a late fightback, saving three match points to close the gap to 17-20, but a contrary return eventually sealed the contest in favour of the Chinese pair.
Later in the day, Lakshya Sen will be fighting for the men's singles title, taking on a familiar foe in Li Shi Feng at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
(With PTI Inputs)