Indian men's doubles pair Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lose French Open final, settle for silver

Indian men's doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy put up a valiant effort in the final of the French Open but lost to the top-seeded pair of Indonesia's Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 21-18, 21-16 here on Sunday.

While the Indonesian pair took gold, Shetty and Rankireddy had to settle for a silver after a thrilling contest that ended in just over half an hour.

Both Shetty and Rankireddy put up a tough fight in the open. However, they were outclassed by the Indonesian duo who played some attacking shots to put the Indian pair on the backfoot in the two sets.

Shetty and Rankireddy, who are ranked 11th in the world, started off by playing smart shots to keep the Indonesians guessing and looked in sublime touch. However, it was the experience and wit of Gideon and Sukamuljo which ended the Indian duo's dream run at the French Open.

On Saturday, Shetty and Rankireddy defeated Japan's Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe 21-11, 25-23 in the semi-final and progressed to the final of the tournament.

The Indian pair had earned headlines after winning the Thailand Open earlier this year.