Hong Kong, Sep 14 (IANS) Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s quest for their first title of the year continues as the eighth-seed Indian duo lost to the sixth-seed Chinese pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the Hong Kong Open men’s doubles final here on Sunday.

The Indian pair suffered a 21-19, 14-21, 17-21 loss at the hands of Chinese combination in the summit clash.

This was the first final of 2025 for Satwik and Chirag after the duo broke a streak of six semifinal defeats with a 21-17 21-15 win over Chen Cheng Kuan and Lin Bing in the semifinal on Saturday.

Liang and Wang opened with a few quick points, but the Indians responded swiftly. Chirag sparked the comeback with a powerful smash, followed by a delicate backcourt touch from Satwik. Chirag then unleashed a couple more smashes, helping the Indian pair edge ahead with a one-point lead at the mid-game interval.

After resumption, Satwik-Chirag extended the lead to three points, 16-13, but soon enough the Chinese made it 16-17. After a few exchanges, a massive smash from Satwik levelled the scores at 19-19 and quickly wrapped up the opening game.

After the break, Satwik and Chirag stretched their lead to 16-13, but the Chinese duo fought back to edge ahead at 17-16. Following a few tight rallies, a thunderous smash from Satwik brought the scores level at 19-all, and the Indians closed out the opening game, 21-14.

Satwik and Chirag got off to a poor start in the third game, trailing 0-4 in the early exchanges. The Chinese pair maintained their momentum, continuing to dominate the Indians, builidng a commanding 13-5 lead.

The Indians managed to pick up a few points, but the Chinese duo kept the pressure on with their powerful strokes, extending their lead to 18-10. Satwik and Chirag then put together a spirited run of four consecutive points, narrowing the gap to just three.

However, the late surge wasn’t enough, as the Chinese held their nerve to take the decider 21-17 and seal the victory.

–IANS

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