“We just have to keep our heads down and keep working”- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on India Open loss
After an amazing week, a title finish once again eluded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at the India Open Super 750. Playing in front of a rambunctious home crowd, the world number twos came up short against Korea's Min Hyuk Kang and Seung Jae Seo in a marathon match.
This marks the second consecutive runner up finish for the Indian duo, after their defeat to China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang earlier in the month at the China Open Super 1000.
Despite the heartbreak in the finals, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have played some delightful badminton over the past two weeks, and are looking stronger than ever with the Olympics approaching.
“Overall, I think we are sad, losing that final in our home tournament, but the past two weeks have been really good. But yeah, I think that title still eludes. It will come, we just have to keep our heads down and keep working. And the big titles will come,” Shetty told reporters after the loss.
Rankireddy was of a similar opinion, saying that this loss would only act as fuel to propel the pair further.
“Playing back-to-back tournaments is tough for us. There are a lot of good things to take. We wanted to hit the podium but we are disappointed we could not win but we are still hungry. We are not satisfied. So that will pump us. So losing is better sometimes. I feel it will give us a lot of motivation.”
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty outline targets for the upcoming months
With Paris still a handful of months away, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are currently focused on more pressing tournaments. The duo has decided to pull out of the imminent Indonesia Open to give their bodies time to recover, and have their next target locked in for the prestigious All England.
“Right now, we are not playing Indonesia. We wanted to play less tournaments but more quality. So now we play the (Asian) team championship and then French and All England, and then we take it from there on,” Rankireddy said.
Another major goal for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, alongside all of India, is defending their Thomas Cup victory.
We want to do well at the Asian Team Championships but our main goal would be to do well at the Thomas Cup. And we want to be on the podium, but hopefully retain our title,” Shetty stated.