Pruthvi-Sai, Tanisha-Dhruv End As Runners-up At Syed Modi International

The Indian men's doubles pair Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K, along with the mixed doubles team of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila, concluded their campaigns with runner-up finishes at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Pruthvi and Sai displayed grit and flashes of brilliance in a 71-minute men's doubles final before falling 14-21, 21-19, 17-21 to China's Huang Di and Liu Yang.

Earlier, fifth-seeded Tanisha and Dhruv squandered an opening game advantage before losing 21-18 14-21 8-21 to Thailand's sixth-seeded pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in mixed doubles finals.

Pruthvi and Sai stayed toe-to-toe with the Chinese pair until 8-8 in the opening game, but the opponents pulled ahead to grab the first game. The Indians rallied in the second, holding an 11-7 lead at the break and fending off a late surge to level the match.

In the decider, the duo showed fighting spirit, recovering from 1-5 to tie at 7-7, with Sai unleashing powerful smashes. However, despite narrowing the gap to 17-18, the Chinese pair held its nerves to clinch the match.

In the mixed doubles summit clash, Tanisha and Dhruv surged to a 6-0 lead but saw their advantage slip as the Thai pair recovered to edge ahead 14-12.

What ensued was a neck-and-neck battle, with both pairs trading points up to 18-18. However, Tanisha stepped up when it mattered the most, capitalizing on a weak return to dazzle at the front court and secure two game points for the Indians.

The opening game was sealed when a mistimed shot from the Thai pair sailed wide, handing Tanisha and Dhruv the upper hand in the match.

Dechapol and Supissara bounced back to take a 11-6 advantage in the second game and kept their nose ahead to take the match to the decider.

The Indians were tentative and erratic in the third game as the Thai pair sustained the momentum to eke out a 11-5 lead at the break. The Indians gathered three quick points on resumption but lacked consistency as Dechapol and Supissara seized 12 match points.

The Thai pair sealed the contest when Tanisha found the net.