BWF Malaysia Open 2024: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lose hard-fought final in three games

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came close to winning their first title of 2024, but lost the Malaysia Open 2024 final in three games 21-9, 18-21, 17-21 to China’s Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng.

The Indian pairing had already made history by entering the final as no Indian has ever made it so far in the Open Era (since 1983) at the Malaysia Open Super 1000.

The Indian pair was dominant in the final at the start exchanges, racing away to an 11-4 lead at the mid-game interval and then clinching game 1 by a 21-9 margin in just 13 minutes. They looked imperious at that stage.

But it was the Chinese pair who took the early lead in the second game, going up 8-3 at one stage before holding a five-point advantage at the mid-game interval at 11-6.

The Indians soldiered on and reduced the gap to 12-14 at one stage and then to 15-17. They chased the Chinese pair resolutely till 18-19, but could not prevent the world champions from pushing the match into a decider.

In the final game, the Indians were leading 3-10 at one stage, but allowed the world champions a couple of easy points to reach the mid-game interval with a slender lead of 11-7 when the ends were changed.

The Chinese pair caught up with the Indians at 12-12. The game then turned into a dogfight to the finish, one which the world no 1 pairing from China claimed victory in.

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