Indian men’s doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis’s quest to win their third BWF International title in four weeks received a jolt when the Indian pair had to retire in the final of the II Jamaica International 2016 in Kingston on Sunday.
The unseeded Indian combine called it quits after their opponents – the second seeded Belgian pair of Matijs Dierickx and Freek Golinski – wrapped up the opening game 21-19.
The cause of their retirement is Kona’s swollen knee as confirmed by the 26-year-old on his official Twitter account.
Kona and Francis have had a stellar few weeks when they reached four finals in four consecutive weeks, winning the first two titles at the Guatemala International and the Peru International and losing the next two in Brazil and Jamaica.
At Kingston, they did not drop a game en route to the final, winning two matches in straight games and getting a walkover in the other. Their exertions from their last three weeks clearly had a toll on them which forced the retirement in the final.
The currently 75th ranked Indian duo, who has made a massive jump in the world rankings, is set to climb even higher and break into the top 70 this week. They will next be in action at the India Open Superseries, beginning March 29.
