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In the semi-final of the BWF World Championships, India`s star duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have concluded the event by clinching a bronze medal.
They suffered a loss by 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 against China`s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi.
The first two games were close affairs from both sides, but the Chinese duo managed to secure a stunning victory in the third game.
Satwik and Chirag stepped on court number one, won the toss and opted to receive first with the former on the firing line. With a precise return of serve from Satwik, the Chinese pair managed to hit the shuttle wide as the first point went straight to the Indian pair.
With back-to-back smashes from the Chinese pair that straightaway crashed into the net, Satwik and Chirag opened up a 4-0 lead. Chen and Liu bounced back quickly to open their account and cut down the deficit to 4-1.
As the game proceeded, the Indian pair secured a lead of 9-3, but late Chen and Liu bounced back strongly and reduced the lead to 9-5.
The game yet again witnessed a strong comeback from the Indians as they managed to take a lead of 11-5 in the opening game.
After the interval, Chen and Liu seemingly brushed off what had happened in the past and upped the ante to script an unblemished comeback. With a watertight defence and multiple shots, they chewed up Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty`s lead and drew level at 12-12.
With a rapturous drop shot before exploiting the space to the forehand side, Chen and Liu took the lead for the first time in the opening game at 13-14. Realising the gravity of the situation, Satwik`s ferocious smash, which Chen was unable to return, restored parity at 14-14.
With a 24-shot rally, the Indian duo stayed in the game by bringing down the scoreline to 16-18. Despite their resistance act, the Chinese pair hammered the final blow to take a lead with a 19-21 win.
They yet again secured a lead over China`s pair by 6-2 in the second game, before the opponents levelled it to 8-8. By showcasing pure Satwik and Chirag managed to defend well and secured an advantage of 15-11.
Their moment of reprieve didn`t last long, as Chen and Liu came at them with the intention of pulling off another rescue act. With their robust defence, the Chinese pair cranked up five consecutive points to level 17-17. A shot gone far too long and a net dribble handed a two-point advantage to Satwik and Chirag, who converted the opening into a 21-18 win. As Chirag saw the shuttle land away from the desired spot, he celebrated the win with a fist bump.
In the third and deciding game, the Indian duo got off to a shaky start, swiftly trailing 0-3. As the game progressed, the Chinese pair increased the intensity, which was reflected in their style of play. Chen executed a stellar jumping back-hand catching Chirag off-guard, and Liu attacked the nets as the Indian pair fell behind 0-6.
Satwik and Chirag lost nine straight points in the decider before taking their first after a 34-shot rally. The flick serve continued to add to India`s agony as Satwik and Chirag continued with their catch-up play at 2-10. In 10 minutes, the Chinese orchestrated a 3-11 lead to take a step closer to the final.
(With ANI Inputs)
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