Sanam Singh could not add a second consecutive Asian Games gold medal to his kitty as he and Saketh Myneni settled for a silver after losing the hard-fought final in straight sets to Korea’s Yongkyu Lim and Hyeon Chung, in Incheon on Monday.
The fifth seeded Indians lost the summit clash 5-7, 6-7(2) in an hour and 29 minutes to the eighth seeded local favourites.
The Koreans, cheered by the home fans, were precise in shot-making and won points with some intelligent tennis against the fighting Indians.
The Koreans stood out with their shot selection as some of the drop volleys won them crucial points.
Sanam had won men’s doubles gold with Somdev Devvarman at the Guangzhou edition in 2010.
The Indians kept fighting hard after losing the first set and stretched the second to a tie-breaker. However they were outplayed in the deciding tie break as they trailed 1-4.
The Koreans were soon up 6-2 to earn four match points and converted the first when Sanam hit a forehand long on Lim’s serve.
India now have won four medals in tennis, including three bronze -- men’s singles, women’s doubles and men’s doubles.
Myneni still has the opportunity to win a gold with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles later on Monday.
