It could've been a perfect day for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They began their Malaysia Open Super 1000 final with a dominating performance in the first game, winning it 21-9 but world no. 1 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang produced a stellar comeback to clinch the next two games and the match 21-18, 21-17.
Chasing their second Super 1000 title of their career, Satwik-Chirag were coming into the final without dropping a game. They also made a great comeback in the semifinal against South Korea's Seo Seung Jae and Kang Min Hyuk where they were 14-20 in the second game to win it 22-20.
Carrying the confidence into the first game of the final, Satwik and Chirag dominated the proceedings right from the start. After taking a good lead at 11-4 into the mid-game break, the pair did not give any chances for Liang and Wang to make a comeback into the game. They won the points consistently and eventually took the game 21-9.
Liang and Wang knew they had to better their game in order to stand a chance. They found their rhythm as the second game progressed and went into the break with a 11-6 lead. Satwik and Chirag tried to keep pace with the Chinese and ensured they don't run away with their points. At one point, the lead was cut down to just one point at 18-19 but the Chinese kept their calm to win the game 21-18.
Satwik and Chirag were off to superb start in the decider, taking a huge 10-3 lead but this was when the Chinese upped the ante. They reduced their errors and put their opponents under pressure by winning a slew of points. They made it 12-10 and maintained the small lead throughout the game. At this stage, Liang pulled off a sensational crosscourt drop shot to make it 20-16 and it seemed the point completely deflated the Indians. They saved one match point but that was that as the Chinese took the third game and the match 21-17.
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