Satwik-Chirag enter China Masters final with straight-game victory over Chia-Soh
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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into their second consecutive men’s doubles final with a commanding win at the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen on Saturday.
The Indian duo defeated former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia 21-17, 21-14 in just 41 minutes.
The victory came a week after their runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open and on the back of a World Championships bronze medal in Paris.
Satwik and Chirag entered the contest with a 4-11 head-to-head record against the Malaysians, who are also two-time Olympic medallists. However, they had recently overcome them at the World Championships. On Saturday, the Indians took an aggressive approach, combining sharp defence with front-court dominance, while Aaron in particular struggled to find form.
The first game was closely fought. Chia and Soh led 10-7 after four straight points, but three errors from Aaron, including a service fault, allowed the Indians to level. The Malaysians held a narrow lead at the interval, but at 14-13, Aaron faltered at the net, handing momentum to Satwik and Chirag. A series of smashes pushed them ahead to 18-14, before they sealed the opener on their second game point.
In the second game, the Indians raced to a 5-2 lead, extending it to 8-2 through Satwik’s smashes and Chirag’s deft net play. Though the Malaysians narrowed the gap to 6-8, Satwik and Chirag went into the break with an 11-6 cushion.
The Malaysians cut it down to 9-11, but the Indians surged again to 15-9. At 16-12, Satwik delivered a powerful smash and a fortunate net cord, as errors from their rivals piled up. Chirag finished the contest with a deep return and a sharp smash, securing their spot in the final.