Denmark Open: Satwik-Chirag lose to Hoki-Kobayashi in semifinals

republic of india’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty cut down agonisingly unawares of a last built in bed, going down to Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in their men’s doubles clash at the Denmark Open Super 750, on Saturday.

The Asian Games champions, who had reached back-to-back finals at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750, displayed tremendous grit to bounce back after losing the opening game.

But the Indian duo faded in the closing stages of the decider to go down 21-23, 21-18, 16-21 against the 2021 world champions in a 68-minute contest saw a battle of lightning-fast exchanges and razor-sharp rallies.

With their exit, India’s campaign at the USD 950,000 tournament came to an end.

Coming into the match with a 4-1 head-to-head advantage and three consecutive wins over the Japanese pair, the world No. 7 Indians started as favourites on paper.

But former winners Hoki and Kobayashi showed better initiative, precision and coordination to outwit the Indians at crucial junctures.

The Indians led 4-1 in the opening game but a spate of unforced errors allowed the Japanese to turn the tables and move ahead 5-4. Kobayashi’s angled smashes and Hoki’s sharp returns gave them a three-point cushion at 9-6 before they went into the mid-game interval leading 11-6.

Satwik and Chirag regained rhythm after the break, taking six of the next eight points to narrow the deficit to 12-13. Flat exchanges and better control from the back helped them draw level at 14-14, but the Japanese edged ahead after winning a grueling 24-shot rally to make it 19-17.

A fine net shot from Satwik and an error from Hoki brought it to 19-all, before Chirag’s sharp return earned them a game point.

However, Satwik missed an easy chance, allowing the Japanese to stay in contention. A whipping smash from Satwik fetched another game point, but Kobayashi saved it with a flat cross return before the Japanese sealed the opener as Chirag’s serve return hit the net.

The Indians regrouped well in the second game. Chirag’s aggression at the net and some sharp placement gave them a 9-7 lead, which they maintained at 16-14.

A service error from the Japanese extended the advantage to 18-15, and despite Kobayashi’s steep smashes, Satwik earned two game points before Chirag finished it off with a cross return to force a decider.

The final game turned into a tense battle of angles and quick reflexes as both pairs looked to dominate the first three to four shots of each rally. Chirag’s good line judgments kept India level at 5-5, but a couple of errors — including a service fault and long returns — saw them trail 6-8.

Kobayashi’s precision from the back and Hoki’s proactive net play helped the Japanese establish a 10-7 lead. The Indians clawed back to take a slender 11-10 advantage at the break after Kobayashi went long.

However, the Japanese pair upped the pace after resumption, winning a 31-shot rally and tightening their defense to surge ahead 13-11. With steep attacks and superior anticipation, they stretched the lead to 17-13.

A body return from Chirag briefly caught Kobayashi on the neck as the Indians reduced the margin to 16-19, but another net error from Chirag handed the Japanese four match points. Kobayashi then closed it out with an accurate return to book their first final appearance of the year.

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