Leading 10-3 in the decider, few would have bet against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty winning the Malaysia Open final, especially considering the form and run they have had of late.
India’s Chirag Shetty, left and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy competes during the men’s doubles badminton semifinal match against South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae at the Malaysia Open(AP) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
But men’s doubles world No.1 Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang had other ideas. Known to dig deep, especially when the odds are against them, the Chinese pair did exactly that to pull off a remarkable come-from-behind 9-21, 21-18, 21-17 victory in 58 minutes to clinch the Super 1000 title in Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena on Sunday.
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The top seeds achieved what they could not last time around when they lost to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the final last year, scoring their fourth win in five outings against India’s world No.2 combine.
Though they lost in the final of the $1.3 million tournament, Rankireddy and Shetty are $45,500 richer and solidify their world No.2 ranking with 10,800 points, which has virtually sealed their Paris Olympics berth.
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In a battle between the world’s highest ranked pairs, it was the Indians who drew first blood when they stunned Wang and Liang by winning the first game 21-9 in only 13 minutes.
The Asian Games champions were regularly targetting Liang, trying to draw the big smasher at the net. A back court player, Liang put too much power into his shots at the net to make regular errors, handing easy points to Rankireddy and Shetty.
After losing the first game, Liang realised that his racquet was coming down hard while rushing to the net and he made a tactical change. Wang thereon controlled the net to play their natural attacking game that levelled the contest after the second game.
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The decider looked like a repeat of the first game with the Indians running away with points to lead 8-2 and 10-3. The Chinese decided to stick to the basics by keeping the shuttle in play and attack the wide lines as Shetty and Rankireddy typically stayed at the centre of the court. Whenever they spotted a gap, Liang from the back and Wang at the front hammered in the bird.
Though the Indians were clearly better at the net, executing tactical plans became increasingly difficult in fast conditions, especially as nerves gripped all four towards the end of the high voltage contest.
Mixing caution with attacks, the Chinese pair made a sensational comeback to level the scores at 12-all before going ahead 14-13 for the first time in the match. By then the momentum had shifted. Displaying class and great skill, Wang and Liang, who reached seven finals last year, were able to fight off the Indian challenge. They also did not hide their emotions, yelling in elation on winning points, quite unusual for the usually calm Chinese pair.
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After hitting some booming smashes, Liang’s disguised cross court drop from the back clinched them the first Super 1000 title of the year.
The pairs have been seeded No.1 and 2 at the India Open that commences here on Tuesday.
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2024-01-14 13:50:54
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