Shenzhen, Nov 23 (IANS): India's campaign in the China Masters 2024 came to an end on Saturday with the top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down fighting to a South Korean pair in the semifinals in the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.
Rankireddy and Shetty, the sixth-seeded pair in the event, lost in three games to Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae of the Republic of Korea 18-21, 21-14, 16-21 in a 74-minute encounter on Court 1 at Shenzhen Gymnasium.
The Indian pair had reached its first semifinal since the Paris Olympic Games and was confident of reaching the final. However, the reigning Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallists and 2022 World Championships bronze medallists got off to an indifferent start as they lost the first game.
After a close battle till the halfway stage of the first game in which they held a slight advantage for most of the time, Rankireddy and Shetty took off from a 13-12 score to open up a 16-12 gap. However, the Korean pair won the next four points to tie the score at 17-all and went on to win the game 21-18.
However, the Indian pair came back strongly in the second game and surged ahead from 6-6 to open up a lead a three-point lead. Rankireddy and Shetty maintained the advantage throughout to win the game 21-14 to take the matter into the decider.
In the third game, Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae, who pairs regularly with Kang Min Hyuk and are ranked sixth in the BWF world rankings, grabbed the lead after 3-3 by winning the next three points. Though Rankireddy and Shetty fought back to bring down the gap to 7-8, the Korean pair won five points in succession to open up a 13-7 gap.
Rankireddy and Shetty, currently ranked 21st in the World, brought down the margin to 13-14 and the Koreans from 15-16 won four points in a row to extend the lead and went on to eventually went on to win the game 21-16 and sealed a place in the final.
Though they lost the match, their entry into the semis will be a big boost for Rankireddy and Shetty as the season draws to an end.