Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's impressive run at the Malaysia Super 1000 badminton tournament came to an end following a straight-game loss to Korea's Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the semifinals, on Saturday.
Seeded seventh, Satwik and Chirag, who reached the finals last season, lost 10-21 15-21 in a 40-minute semifinal clash.
"They played really well, and we could have followed our game plan a bit better. Instead, we played some random strokes, but kudos to them for playing a solid game," Satwik told reporters.
"Today, the pace of the game was very slow compared to the last three days. It's part of the game. It was a valuable learning experience for us. It is disappointing, but we have a long way to go. Today’s match showed that we can still make it a good fight."
The Asian Games champions struggled to get the right start and trailed 6-11 at the break in the opening game. Despite their efforts, the Indians could not make a comeback as Kim and Seo wrapped up the first game in just 19 minutes.
After the break, Satwik and Chirag showed better control and intent, making it 11-8 at the interval. However, they couldn’t maintain the momentum, allowing the Koreans to recover and seal the contest comfortably.
Kim and Seo have reunited for the 2025 season after finding success with other partners.
Seo previously partnered Kang Min Hyuk to the world title in 2023 and reached world No. 7 with Choi Sol Gyu before that. Kim, on the other hand, claimed the mixed doubles silver medal alongside Jeong Na-eun at the Paris Olympics.
"They both are playing like a mixed doubles pair now, which is making it tougher," laughed Satwik.
"They are not giving away any easy points, and that’s their best quality. We have to work hard for every point, and that’s exactly what happened today."
Satwik, who hasn't competed much after the Paris Games due to injuries, said a little more attitude and mind games could have helped against their opponents.
"We were working really hard, but they were taking easy points whenever they wanted, which kept the pressure off them. In the first game, and even in the second, despite us leading, they maintained their confidence. "They could take any point at any time. I think maybe some mind games could have worked here and there. We started a bit calmer, thought the game would come to us, but we could have shown a little more attitude on the court and played with a little more fire," he said.
Chirag added: "I think we started to be a little calmer in the second game. But credit to them, I think we gave away a few easy points from 11-8, but they were also serving quite well."
Satwik and Chirag haven't played much badminton since the Olympics.
They will next lead the home challenge at the India Open Super 750, starting January 14. The Indian pair will face Malaysia’s Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee in the opening round.
"Really excited. It's our home tournament and we would really want to go, play well there, and go as deep into the tournament as possible," Chirag signed off.
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