Quarter-finals wrap: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the semi-finals, defeating their compatriot Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy 21-17, 21-11. The young duo will face the top-seeded pair of Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya on Saturday. Earlier, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Denmark Open as she lost to World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the quarter-final match. The 28-year-old Hyderabadi shuttler lost to her opponent in straight games 20-22, 11-21 in just 36 minutes. Saina’s poor run against Ying continued as she never looked in the contention right from the start but towards the end of the first game Saina bounced back but could not finish. The second game saw Ying overpowering Saina. It was a cakewalk for the World No. 1 as she outmuscled Saina with ease to enter the semi-final.
Highlights, French Open 2018 results: India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ousted in semi-finals
Catch the live score and updates of the French Open 2018 semi-final match between Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon.
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Despite putting up a spirited performance in the second game, the Indian men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty tasted defeat against World No 1 pair Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon. The Indonesian pair were too good for the young Indian duo as their unrelenting gameplay smothered their opponent. And that brings the end to India’s campaign at the French Open.
That’s it from us. Hope you liked our coverage. We’ll be back to cover the next tournament. See you later.
Kevin and Marcus enter final
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty go down fighting after losing to top-seeded Indonesian pair Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon 12-21, 24-26
22-22!
This is a great exhibition of mind-blowing badminton by both the pairs. The forehand drives by Kevin is just a treat to watch. Not to forget, Chirag has been resilient at the net. He’s covered it with elan.
It’s 23-23. A see-saw battle, really.
21-21! WHAT. IS. HAPPENING
So many quick rallies with a lot of trickery from all four shuttlers on the court. Satwik and Chirag have targeted the backcourt, while Kevin and Marcus have unsettled the Indians with their fast-paced exchanges at the net.
19-19! End-to-end stuff
That shot was very well placed by Kevin Sanjaya from the backcourt. Chirag was taken by surprise there.
Make that 20-20. Two quick points for both the pairs. This is turning out to be a great attacking battle.
17-17! It’s a tight affair in the second game
Both pairs are doing everything they can to attack from all corners. Things are getting interesting now
The Indian pair has looked threatening in the second game. The defensive strokes were accurate.
Kevin Sanjaya-Marcus Gideon 1-0
The Indonesians have toyed around in the opening game against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Their court coverage is something every pair is envious of. They are arguably one of the rare combinations who find the right balance between attack and defence, coupled with some trickery.
9-16!
Kevin and Marcus have weirdly allowed Satwik and Chirag to play attacking strokes from the front. Satwik has shown glimpses of his unplayable smashes but hasn’t really unleashed his natural attacking game.
13-8!
The Indian duo has started to combine well from every corner of the court. Only time will tell if their new strategy can allow them to stage a comeback.
10-3! That was the longest rally of the match.
Kevin finds the angle to smash one down the right tramline. The Indian duo needs to play a variety of strokes to unsettle their opponent.
5-0!
Satwik is finding it difficult to find a winner from the backcourt. Kevin, on the other hand, has defended well from the corners. So far, so good for the Indonesian pair.
2-0!
Two quick points in the bag for the Indonesians. Marcus Gideon serves brilliantly as Satwik rushes at the net.
Satwik-Chirag vs Kevin-Marcus
The Indian men’s doubles shuttlers face the World No 1 seeds for the fifth time. Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon have won all the four encounters against the Indian duo. However, they were pushed to three games in their recent clash at the Asain Games in Jakarta.
This is Satwik and Chirag’s first 750 tournament semis appearance as they defeated higher-ranked Chinese shuttlers before thwarting Manu Atri and Sumeeth Reddy in the last-eight.
Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the French Open semi-finals. India’s young men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action against World No 1 duo Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon of Indonesia.
The Indian singles shuttlers were sent packing in the quarter-finals yesterday. Stick around for live updates.