Toyota Thailand Open: Indian challenge ends with mixed doubles semi-final loss
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Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
The semi-finals of the ongoing Toyota Thailand Open ended on a disappointing note as the Indian challenge in the tournament ended with mixed doubles pair Ashwini Ponnappa-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy‘s loss. Earlier in the day, men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had also bowed out of the contest.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy had been producing some incredible comebacks in the tournament. Despite a strong resistance and a spirited fight back, the duo lost the match to local shuttlers, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
The first game was very closely contested as the Indians matched almost everything the top seeded Thais threw at them. Going into the mid-game break, the latter led with a slender advantage of one point. However, a brief lapse of concentration on the Indians’ part allowed the Thai players to race ahead with a four point lead. The Indian pair rallied late to save three game points but eventually lost out on the first game, 20-22.
In the second bout, the Thais were in their element. Their brilliant shuttle placement kept the Indians guessing and on the backfoot. But Rankireddy and Ponnappa once again mounted a commendable comeback, like they had in their previous fixtures. Roaring back when pushed to the wall, is slowly becoming a trend for the mixed doubles pair. They turned the tables at a crucial juncture to take the second game, 21-18. Thanks to their superb showing they were able to push the match to go for a decider.
The unfortunate loss
Although their opponents held a narrow lead, the Indians still had a chance to take the match in the third game. Unfortunately, after the mid-game break they lost their rhythm as their counterparts wrapped up the third set, 12-21. The Thais’ extensive big-game experience was clearly in play in the final game.
“I’m happy with the performance today. The quality of the last two games were good. I think we have played one of the best matches of our careers against these [Puavaranukroh/Taerattanachai] top players. We couldn’t even practice before coming here. We just wanted to play. We gave it a good fight today, it was very close,” Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said.
“Overall, the game was good for us because we haven’t been able to train and I’m happy that our partnership has gotten a lot better during this tournament,” Ashwini Ponnappa said.
Ponnappa and Rankireddy fought tooth and nail to grab their ticket to the finals but lost out in the three-game battle. With their loss, curtains were drawn on the Indian challenge in the tournament.
Also Read: Toyota Thailand Open: India out of men’s doubles title contention with semi-final loss
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Ira Deokule
(181 Articles Published)