Raj Mondal-Sourav Saha settle for doubles bronze in Spanish Open Challenge

Guadalajara (Spain): Indian paddlers Raj Mondal and Sourav Saha knocked out the top seeds before settling for a bronze medal in the men's doubles event of the Spanish Open Challenge.

In a tense opening round, Mondal and Saha got the better of Hong Kong's Siu Hang Lam and Pak Nam NG in a five-game battle.

The second round was a breeze, with Camilo Giraldo of Colombia and Alfonso Olave (Chile) proving to be easy prey for them. The Indians won 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.

Mondal and Saha, however, met their match in the semifinals. They began on a high note winning the first game 11-7 but slowly disintegrated under the combined onslaught of the Korean pair of Eonrae Cho and Minhyeok Kin.

They lost the next three games 9-11, 4-11, 2-11.