Thailand Open: Mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj, Ashwini lose in semi-final

Bangkok [Thailand], January 23 (ANI): Indian mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa have been ousted from the Thailand Open after losing in the semifinal on Saturday.
Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai cruised to the final after beating Rankireddy and Ponnappa 22-20, 18-21, 21-12 in the encounter that lasted about an hour.
After losing the hard-fought first game, the Indian pair came out all guns blazing to claim the second game despite the strong challenge from the opponents.
In the final game of the encounter, both the teams gave their all in an effort to march to the summit clash, but the Indian duo failed to outclass the local pair. The Thai pair went to the mid-game break with a two-point advantage and continued their dominance in the rest of the match and won the game 21-12.
Rankireddy and Ponnappa were the only Indian players left in the competition after others failed to win their respective matches in the competition.
Earlier in the day, Satwiksairaj and his men’s doubles partner Chirag Shetty lost in the semi-final.
Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik defused the Indian attack in two straight sets 21-18, 21-18 to sail into the finals of the showpiece event. Satwiksairaj and Chirag were defeated by eight-seeded Malaysian pair despite their valiant effort in the semi-final clash. (ANI)