Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto produced a valiant fight before going down in a thrilling three-game women's doubles final at the Syed Modi International super 300 badminton tournament in Lucknow on Sunday.
The World No. 32 Indian pair, which had clinched the Nates International Challenge and Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 this year, lost 14-21 21-17 15-21 against third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan in a 77-minute clash to make a creditable runner-up finish.
The seventh seeded Indians made good starts but couldn't sustain the pressure in the opening game. Ashwini, 36, and 20-year-old Tanisha, who started playing together only in January this year, roared back into the contest after winning the second game and fought back from 1-8 down in the decider to 13-15 before the World No.
15 Japanese marched ahead. Tanisha dazzled in the frontcourt, producing some precise placements, as the Indian pair lead 7-4 in the opening game.