Malaysia Open: Satwik-Chirag take flight in time, Prannoy shown door

Kuala Lumpur, January 10

The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty began the new season on a bright note, while Asian Games bronze medallist HS Prannoy lost his opening-round match at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 here today.

The world No. 2 doubles combination of Satwiksairaj and Chirag overcame a tough challenge from the gritty Indonesian pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Maulana Bagas 21-18 21-19, while world No. 8 Prannoy lost 14-21 11-21 to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in 43 minutes.

The second-seeded Satwiksairaj and Chirag, who reached the semifinals in 2023, will look to go deep in the draw after the stiff 44-minute test from the world No. 9 duo, which had beaten the Indians twice last year – at the Thailand Open and China Open.

The duo dominated the first game with powerful smashes to take a four-point lead at 8-4 and never lost the advantage. However, the second game was more challenging with the Indians trailing for most part of the match before levelling at 19-all and taking the last two points.