India’s challenge at the Australian Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Sydney came to an end on Saturday as Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy lost to top seeds Berry Angriawan and Hardianto Hardianto 17-21, 15-21 in the semi-finals.

Third seeds Attri and Reddy started well and showed a lot of energy in the first game, as they kept up with the world No 17 pair from Malaysia right until the latter stages. However, the Indians were not able to finish rallies off well – including one that lasted 91 shots – and that hurt them eventually as they conceded the first game 17-21.

As the second game began and progresses, Attri and Reddy increasingly got tired and the faults began to rise off their racquets. The Malaysian pair kept the Indians moving, especially along the baseline, and had an answer for most of their attacks.

Attri and Reddy eventually ran out of gas and conceded the match in 39 minutes. In spite of the defeat, Attri and Reddy will move up into the world’s top 25 when the rankings are updated on Thursday. The Indian pair will take heart from this run in Sydney, being their first semi-final appearance of the year, but they’ve got a lot to work on ahead of the Thomas Cup later this month.