Swiss Open: Chirag-Satwiksairaj knocked out of semifinal after straight games defeat

Basel [Switzerland], March 6 (ANI): Indian men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy ended their fine run at the ongoing Swiss Open after they went down against Danish badminton players Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the semifinals on Saturday.
The Danish duo diffused the Indian attack in two straight sets 21-10, 21-17. The Indian contingent had displayed some sensational performances in the ongoing showpiece event but wasn’t able to recreate the show on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, ace India shuttler Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the Swiss Open after losing against World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen in the semi-final.
Denmark’s Axelsen outclassed Srikanth 21-13, 21-19 in 41 minutes to proceed to the final of the tournament.
Srikanth failed to get momentum in the first game and struggled to keep the shuttle on the court. In the second game, the Indian player tried to make a comeback but it was denied by the in-form Axelsen as he bagged the close-fought game 21-19
Meanwhile, PV Sindhu progressed to the final of the tournament after registering a straight games win over Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt in the semi-final.
Rio Olympics silver medalist clinched the clash 22-20, 21-10 that lasted for 43 minutes. The World No. 2 faced a tough fight in the first game as it went neck-to-neck till Sindhu finally bagged it at 22-20.
But the Indian shuttler showed her class in the second game and did not give any margin and dominated the match. Sindhu will now face Olympic champion Carolina Marin for a shot at the Swiss Open title clash on Sunday. (ANI)