Satwik-Chirag’s Denmark Open Run Ends In Semifinal Heartbreak

Star Indian men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty missed bagging a spot in the final, losing to Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the men’s doubles match at the Denmark

Open Super 750 on Saturday, October 18.

Satwik-Chirag, who had reached successive finals at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750, showed great determination by recovering after losing the first game.

However, Satwik-Chirag faltered towards the end of the decider, losing 21-23, 21-18, 16-21 against the 2021 world champions in a 68-minute match filled with rapid exchanges and intense rallies.

With their loss, India’s campaign at the USD 950,000 tournament ended. Entering the match with a 4-1 head-to-head advantage and three straight victories over the Japanese duo, Satwik-Chirag were the favourites on paper.

However, former champions Hoki and Kobayashi demonstrated better initiative, precision and coordination at crucial moments to outplay Satwik-Chirag.

The Indians led 4-1 in the opening game, but a series of unforced errors permitted the Japanese duo to overturn the deficit and take a 5-4 lead. Kobayashi’s angled smashes and Hoki’s sharp returns gave them a 9-6 advantage and they led 11-6 at the mid-game interval.

Satwik and Chirag found their rhythm after the break, winning six of the next eight points to close the gap to 12-13.

Flat exchanges and better control from the back helped Satwik-Chirag level at 14-all, but the Japanese duo edged ahead after winning a gruelling 24-shot rally to make it 19-17.

A fine net shot from Satwik and an error from Hoki brought it to 19-all, with Chirag’s sharp return earning them a game point. However, the former missed an easy opportunity, permitting the Japanese to stay in contention.

A powerful smash from Satwik earned another game point, but Kobayashi saved it with a flat cross return before the Japanese sealed the opener as Chirag’s serve return hit the net.

Satwik-Chirag regrouped well in the second game. The latter’s aggression at the net and sharp placements gave them a 9-7 lead, which they maintained at 16-14.

A service error from the Japanese extended the advantage to 18-15 and despite Kobayashi’s steep smashes, Satwik earned two game points before Chirag finished it off with a cross return, forcing a decider.

The final game became a tense battle of angles and quick reflexes as both duos aimed to dominate the first few shots of each rally. Chirag’s good line judgments kept India level at 5-all, but a few errors, including a service fault and long returns, saw them trail 6-8.

Kobayashi’s precision from the back and Hoki’s proactive net play gave the Japanese a 10-7 lead. Satwik-Chirag clawed back to take a slender 11-10 advantage at the break after Kobayashi’s shot went long.

However, the Japanese duo increased the pace after the interval, winning a 31-shot rally and tightening their defence to surge ahead 13-11.

With steep attacks and superior anticipation, they extended the lead to 17-13. A body return from Chirag caught Kobayashi on the neck as he and Satwik reduced the margin to 16-19, but another net error from him gave the Japanese four match points. Kobayashi then closed it out with an accurate return, bagging their first final appearance of the year.

(With PTI Inputs)