In a match that had more twists and turns than a Dan Brown novel, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came up short against Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan 21-23, 21-18, 16-21 in 68 minutes at the Denmark Open Super 750 in Odense on Saturday. The defeat at the hands of the former world champions meant the Indians’ wait for a title on the BWF World Tour continued. For Hoki and the brilliant leftie Kobayashi, it signalled a return to a title clash after a year as the former world No 1s – who were also coached by Tan Kim Her like the Indians are currently – build their level back up.

The Indians started the match on the front foot, opening a 3-1 lead when Chirag hit the shuttle bang on Kobayashi’s forehead – couldn’t have placed a body smash any better – and put up a hand in ap

See Full Page