French Open | Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty knocked out in thriller

10/27/2018

Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty succumbed to a narrow 21-12, 26-24 defeat against top seeds Marcus Fernaldi and Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo at the French Open. The Indians battled hard in the second game but ultimately fell to a 26-24 loss against 'The Minnows'.

Indonesian shuttlers, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo were the favorites ahead of tonight’s encounter against CWG silver medalists - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Dubbed as ‘The minnows’ Marcus and Kevin were off to a cracker of a start against the young Indian pair as they raced to a 5-0 lead early into the first game. Midway through the first game, the scores stood at 10-3 in favour of the Indonesian pair and it looked like a task for the Indians to bounce back.

However, Reddy-Shetty combo staged a comeback to to take the scoreboard to 13-8 with some smart points along the way. But some smart tactics from the tricky Indonesian duo ensured that they made their way to a comfortable win in the opening game by a scoreline of 21-12.

The Minnows’ court coverage is something every pair is envious of. They are arguably one of the rare combinations who find the right balance between attack and defence, coupled with some trickery. The second game, however, was a different affair altogether as the Indians produced a stunning performance to counter their opponents in the French arena.

The Indians found themselves trailing at 9-7 midway during the second game but failed to catch up with their opponents after they continued to trail at 14-12. But things got heated up from there on as the two pairs kept pushing each other to their limits. 17-17, 19-19, this was how the scoreboard looked in the match between the two pairs.

However, ultimately it was the Indonesian pair who narrowly escaped with a 26-24 win on Saturday.