KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — National professional men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi fell short of their dream of winning the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after losing to Indian duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, tonight.

In the finals at the Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club in Dubai, Yew Sin-Ee Yi almost made good on their promise to be crowned Asian champions, but were denied by the world number six Rankireddy-Shetty in a three-set battle lasting an hour.

Rankireddy-Shetty looked in control of the game in the first set before Yew Sin-Ee Yi chased point after point to record a 21-16 victory.

Buoyed by the win, world number eight Yew Sin-Ee Yi came out sharper in the second set, racing to a 13-8 lead.

However, the pair failed to maintain their pace and made errors which Rankireddy-Shetty capitalised on to secure a 21-17 victory, dragging the match into the rubber set.

Rankireddy-Shetty, who also won the gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, played an aggressive game, forcing several errors from the Malaysian duo to win it 21-19.

This was Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s fourth defeat to the Indian pair in seven meetings.

The last time Malaysia emerged as the BAC men’s doubles champions was in the 2007 edition in Johor Baru, where Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah defeated Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, 21-14, 11-21, 21-12 in an all-Malaysian final. — Bernama