Indian men’s doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy on Wednesday said improving service and receive remains the key focus area for him and partner Chirag Shetty as they look to compete consistently against the world’s top pairs.
The World No. 3 pair opened their campaign at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals with a gritty 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 win over Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in their opening men’s doubles Group B match.
“We are practising service and receiving most of the time. It’s the main part of the game. If you want to beat pairs from Malaysia, Indonesia or China, you have to handle service situations well,” Satwik said after the match.
Satwik and Chirag, the only Indian representatives at the season-ending showpiece, saved a match point to eventually outwit the World No. 5 Chinese pair. “No matter what, play aggressive game style, that was the game plan from the starting onwards,” said the 25-year-old from Amalapuram.
The Asian Games champions, who reached the finals at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters earlier this year, will face another stern test when they take on Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri on Thursday.
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