Syed Modi International 2023 badminton: Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa go down fighting in final

India’s Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa lost the women’s doubles final at the Syed Modi International 2023 badminton tournament in Lucknow on Sunday.

The seventh-seeded duo of Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the Abu Dhabi Masters in October, lost the Syed Modi title decider 14-21, 21-17, 15-21 to the Japanese pair of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in one hour and 17 minutes.

Up against Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in what was the first clash between the two pairs, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa looked the better team in the initial exchanges and took a three-point lead into the first mid-game break.

The Japanese duo, however, upped the ante after the restart and took the first game comfortably.

The second game saw a brilliant response from the Indian badminton players. After conceding the opening point, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa scored four consecutive points to take the lead and held onto it for the remainder of the game to draw level.

Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi came out all guns blazing in the decider and quickly raced to a 8-1 lead. The Indian duo recovered and managed to slowly chip away at the Japanese pair’s hefty stage.

At 13-15, the Indian shuttlers even managed to bring down the deficit to just two points but Iwanaga and Nakanishi held on to secure their first BWF World Tour title.

Results from the Syed Modi India International, a BWF Super 300 tournament, will count towards players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Syed Modi International 2023 badminton winners

Men’s singles: Chi Yu Jen (Chinese Taipei)

Women’s singles: Nozomi Okuhara (Japan)

Men’s doubles: Choong Hon Jian/Haikal Muhammad (Malaysia)

Women’s doubles: Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (Japan)

Mixed doubles: Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja (Indonesia)