India’s number one pair in badminton men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are up and running once again. This time the duo stormed into the finals of the China Masters Super 750. Satwik and Chirag have already won the Badminton Asian Championships. This was followed by Indonesia Super 1000, Korea Super 500, Swiss Super 300 and the Asian Games gold medal in a stellar year. Not only this, the duo have also reached the pinnacle of the BWF ranking to become the first Indian pair to become World No. 1.
The SatChi factor in the finals
Satwik and Chirag have stormed into the finals of the China Masters after they got the better of home favourites He Ji Ting & Ren Xiang Yu. It was an easy win for the Indian duo and they won comfortably by a scoreline of 21-15 and 22-20. Although the Chinese duo tried to stage a comeback, the Indian duo managed to battle it out using their vast experience. The top seeds will face another Chinese pair, i.e. second seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the summit clash. “We are feeling really good. The way we played throughout this week, felt like we have got back our rhythm. Like how we played at Asian Games here in China,” said Satwik after the match.
The Indians didn’t put a foot wrong, leading from the start to move from 6-2 to 10-4 in a jiffy. However, the Chinese were no pushovers and produced a barrage of smashes. This was negotiated well by the Indians, who entered the break with a healthy 11-6 lead. The Chinese duo tried to regroup and claimed four of the next five points after resumption to cut the deficit to 10-12. However, once the Indians got back the serve, they again mounted their attack. Soon the Indians led 18-10. When the Chinese went wide, India had seven game points which they converted on the third chance.
Nothing changed in the second game as once again both the pairs fought for supremacy in some fierce rallies. However, this time the Chinese combination managed to lead 4-3 at one stage. The Chinese pair did better in the second game to lead 8-6 after the Indians went wide. After resumption, the Chinese pair went 12-9 ahead after the Indian left the backcourt unguarded. However, with a variety of attacks, the Indian duo managed to tie the score at 13-13.
Two clever shots on the backcourt helped the Indians make it 15-15 and they soon held a two-point cushion at 18-16. Another sensational rally ended with Satwik sending his backhand looping over to the back as it was 19-17. But Satwik next sent the shuttle to net twice as it was 19-19. However, Chirag’s smash gave them one match point but they squandered it. The Indians grabbed their second match point when Ren netted one and this time Satwik unleashed his trademark smash to seal their place in the final.
Hard day for Prannoy
Although Satwik and Chirag rode the tide of exuberance, elsewhere there was heartbreak as HS Prannoy crashed out against third-seeded Japanese shuttler Kodai Naraoka. Naraoka dominated the game from the word go against Prannoy. The final scoreline of the match stood at 9-21 and 14-21. Naraoka’s win can be attributed to his astronomical on-court endurance. The game was dominated by long rallies where Naraoka came out as the victor today.
Read more:
- What is the Grand Prix Badminton League? Find all details here
- China Masters 2023: HS Prannoy and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty advance into the quarters
- India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty nominated for BWF Player of the Year Award
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