The Indian pair, having progressed to the last 32 after their opponents in the first round, Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds of Ireland, retired due to injury, were beaten 21-17, 21-14 by the Korean pair.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on the defeat, Amsakarunan said the match was closely fought until the Indians began making errors at a crucial stage of the opening game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe were playing good. That Korean defense was like, we knew before the match only; it\u2019s not an easy match. We have to get points of 10 to 12, 15 rallies minimum. That was good. Our game was close, like very close, neck and neck, 15-all. After that, simple errors on our side. The second set was, you know, that one, like a slower set; we went to a slower set. That smashes and all, can\u2019t finish. So, it\u2019s okay; it\u2019s a good game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cLooking forward to next tournament,\u201d Hariharan said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arjun, meanwhile, insisted that the pace of the Korean pair was not the main problem, pointing instead to the Indians\u2019 failure to execute their game plan in the decisive moments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNo, it was definitely not the pace, because in the first game we were scoring points with pace, I believe. I mean, our tactics were to, you know, start from the faster side, get those attacking smashes. And, you know, with the pace, make them move side to side. Koreans typically have a game style in which they are very strong in defense. They are not very fast with the side-to-side movement. But, yeah, our tactics were that. We executed it well in the first, but couldn\u2019t close out the first. That cost us the match,\u201d Arjun said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indians had also surrendered several points after the score reached 15-15 in the opening game, but Arjun did not single out their service as the decisive factor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNo, service- all of those were the same. I think in the first game, from 15-all, we wouldn\u2019t have made those, I mean, errors that cost us the match. It was an either-side match if we had won the first set. Because playing from that side was a difficult task because of the slower shuttle. But, yeah, mistakes cost us the match,\u201d Arjun said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indians found the second match more difficult since the slower conditions harmed their attack and enabled the Koreans to apply more pressure on their defence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
When asked about the Korean pair's ability to attack with smashes at a height around the knee, Arjun stated that the reason for the difference was mainly due to the depth of the shuttle rather than any particular tactic on the part of their opponents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indians found the second match more difficult since the slower conditions harmed their attack and enabled the Koreans to apply more pressure on their defence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The defeat brought an end to the Indian pair\u2019s run at the home World Championships, with Arjun and Amsakarunan unable to build on their opening-round progression after their Irish opponents retired while trailing in the second game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n