India's superstar men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty marched into the China Masters final on September 20. The duo dominated their Malaysian opponents Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, winning in straight games with a score of 21-17, 21-14. The match lasted just 41 minutes, highlighting the Indian pair's comprehensive performance. It is Satwik-Chirag's back-to-back finals in just a week as they also made it to the title clash in the just-concluded Hong Kong Open.
Satwik-Chirag march into China Masters
India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, fresh off a bronze medal at the World Championships and a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, continued their impressive form at the China Masters. In a dominant performance, the Asian Games champions outclassed their long-time rivals, the two-time Olympic medalists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in straight games with a score of 21-17, 21-14.
Despite a challenging 4-11 head-to-head record against the Malaysian duo, the Indian pair had recently secured a victory against them on their way to the World Championships bronze medal. In Saturday's semifinal, the Indians adopted an aggressive, all-out attacking strategy supported by a solid defense. They also dominated the front court, while the Malaysian team, particularly Aaron, appeared to be struggling throughout the 41-minute match.
The opening game was a close contest, with both pairs fighting hard. Aaron and Soh took a 10-7 lead with four consecutive points, but three errors from Aaron, including a service fault, allowed Satwik and Chirag to close the gap. The Malaysians still held a narrow one-point lead at the interval.
With the score at 14-13 in the first game, Aaron made a crucial error at the net, giving the momentum back to the Indian pair. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy then unleashed a series of powerful smashes, and with more errors from their rivals, the Indians extended their lead to 18-14. A sharp return from Satwik earned them four game points, and they successfully closed out the first game on their second attempt. In the second game, Satwik and Chirag Shetty quickly built a 5-2 lead after the change of ends. Satwik's explosive smashes and Chirag's skillful play at the front court helped them stretch their advantage to 8-2. Although the Malaysians managed to narrow the gap to 6-8, the Indian duo still held a comfortable 11-6 lead at the interval.
Aaron and Soh managed to reduce the deficit to 9-11, but the Indians responded with another surge to make the score 15-9. At 16-12, Satwik delivered a thunderous smash, followed by a lucky net cord. As the Malaysians' errors continued to mount, Chirag took control. He sealed the match with a deep return and a final, decisive smash, bringing the contest to a close.