New Delhi: An unusual silence enveloped the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium on Friday. With the crowd favorites, PV Sindhu and Kiran George, eliminated in the quarter-finals, disappointment lingered among fans at the $950,000 India Open. However, not all was lost.

As is often the case in contemporary badminton tournaments, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty extended India's presence into the latter stages of the Super 750 event, elevating the atmosphere within the 5,000-seat venue.

Rankireddy and Shetty faced little resistance in defeating the South Korean duo of Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk, who had triumphed at the India Open the previous year alongside Seo Seung-Jae, with a score of 21-10, 21-17 in just 41 minutes, thereby securing their place in the men’s doubles semi-finals.

“From the very beginning, we were fully committed. That was our objective. As you could see, if we had been a bit sluggish, they could have taken advantage by maneuvering the shuttle effectively. We aimed to prevent them from re-entering the match. I am pleased that we adhered to our strategy until the conclusion,” remarked Shetty.

Under the guidance of Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her, Rankireddy and Shetty remained focused on reaching their second consecutive India Open final. In a decisive performance against the South Koreans, who had previously upset the top seeds and world No. 1 pair Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen from Denmark, the Asian Games gold medalists surged to a 9-1 advantage and maintained control to secure the first game in 18 minutes.

Energized by a passionate crowd, Rankireddy and Shetty established a 14-8 lead in the second game, but Kang and Jin mounted a stronger challenge. The South Koreans slowed the pace of the match and exploited the lack of drift to direct the shuttle to the back of the court, winning points at the net and leveling the score at 16-all.

The Indian duo displayed remarkable composure throughout the match. They quickly assessed the situation, accelerating their pace and minimizing the time taken between points to prevent Kang and Jin from having an opportunity to extend the match to a deciding game. They effectively varied their shots, alternating between forehand and backhand, with the shuttle frequently traversing the court in a criss-cross pattern.

Rankireddy and Shetty refrained from lifting the shuttle, demonstrating superiority in flat exchanges, ultimately securing both the game and the match.

“We felt at ease even as the score tightened. We understood that maintaining the pressure would prevent them from keeping up. Our errors in the final three points allowed them to close the gap, but we remained calm,” Rankireddy remarked.

In the semi-final, the 2022 champions are set to compete against Malaysian third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin, against whom the Indians hold a 6-1 advantage.

Sindhu and Kiran faced defeats

Earlier, Sindhu lost to fourth seed and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung with scores of 21-9, 19-21, 21-17 after a match lasting one hour and two minutes. In the men's category, Kiran's impressive run concluded as he was defeated by Weng Hong Yang of China with scores of 21-13, 21-19.

Despite the loss, Sindhu found some positives to reflect on. The 29-year-old initially struggled with her movement in the first game but mounted a strong challenge once she regained her rhythm. After falling behind 3-9 in the second game, she launched a comeback, pushing Tunjung to the back of the court and neutralizing the effectiveness of the Indonesian’s quick slice drops. She managed to keep the shuttle in play long enough to induce an error from her opponent.

Sindhu reached Tunjung at a score of 9-9, and although both competitors remained closely matched, Sindhu succeeded in pushing the match to a decisive game by compelling the fourth seed to adopt a more aggressive approach in order to secure points.

The former champion maintained her strategy in the final game and appeared poised to achieve an upset as both players were tied at 17-17. However, exceptional shot-making from Tunjung, coupled with a misjudgment by Sindhu, ultimately determined the outcome of the match.

“It was 17-17 in the third game where some of my strokes were just too parallel and into her hand. If I had played a bit more back, maybe that would have been the difference,” Sindhu reflected.

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