India’s Syndrela Das and Sutirtha Mukherjee finished runners-up in the women’s doubles event at WTT Contender Almaty after losing to Japan’s Miu Hirano and Miyuu Kihara in the final on Sunday.
The third-seeded Indian combination was beaten in straight games, with Hirano and Kihara sealing a 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 20-18) victory in just over 30 minutes.
The Japanese pair dominated the opening stages of the contest, allowing Das and Mukherjee little opportunity to establish themselves. Hirano and Kihara raced through the first game 11-2 before maintaining control in the second, which they took 11-5.
The Indians produced a much stronger challenge in the third game as they attempted to extend the final. A closely fought battle developed, with neither pair able to quickly establish a decisive advantage.
Das and Mukherjee pushed their Japanese opponents deep into the game but eventually fell short 20-18, allowing Hirano and Kihara to complete the straight-games victory and claim the title.
The defeat also extended the Japanese duo’s unbeaten head-to-head record against Das and Mukherjee to 2-0.
Their previous meeting came earlier this year during the qualifiers of WTT Contender Zagreb. Hirano and Kihara also won that encounter in straight games.
Despite missing out on the trophy in Almaty, Das and Mukherjee enjoyed a notable run to the final. They defeated fellow Indians and top seeds Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade in the semifinals to secure their place in the title clash.
Hirano ended the tournament with further success by also capturing the women’s singles crown. She defeated Japanese compatriot Miyu Nagasaki 3-1 (4-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7) in the final after recovering from losing the opening game.
Japan also celebrated victory in the men’s singles competition, where top seed Shunsuke Togami claimed the title.
In the other doubles events, Russia’s Lev Katsman and Maksim Grebnev secured the men’s doubles championship.
The mixed doubles trophy was also won by a Russian combination, with Evgeny Tikhonov and Maria Panfilova taking the title.
For India, Das and Mukherjee’s second-place finish remained the standout result in the women’s doubles competition after their run culminated in a challenging final against the Japanese pair.
