India's Star Doubles Pair Satwik-Chirag Conquer China Masters
Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a stirring comeback to beat China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in a three-game thriller and clinch the China Masters Super 750 title in Shenzhen on Sunday. Playing their third final…
Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a stirring comeback to beat China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in a three-game thriller and clinch the China Masters Super 750 title in Shenzhen on Sunday. It is the.
The title is a big boost for the world No. The Indians were up against a Chinese pair whose ranking had slipped to world No.
What Happened
It is just the third event for He Ji Ting, who returned to competitive badminton after serving a team-imposed disciplinary suspension by the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA). Satwik and Chirag, however, had defeated the Chinese pair twice in their only two previous.
Playing their third final in Shenzhen, Satwik and Chirag, who finished runners-up in the 2023 and 2025 editions, fought their way to an 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 victory over former world No.
A fortunate net cord handed the Indians three match-point opportunities, and Chirag sealed the title with a smash.
The Indians soon moved ahead 18-17 when He Ji Ting found the net.
Key Details
The Indian pair had played three three-game matches en route to the final, dropping the second game after winning the opening game in each of those encounters. Playing their third final in their 10th tournament of the year, Satwik and Chirag opted.
A short service from Satwik made it 14-16, before the Indians drew level at 16-16.
The Chinese were better at keeping the shuttle below the tape during the rallies and were rewarded for it, but the Indians continued to snap at their heels at 13-15 after a service error.
It was a fight for initiative as the two pairs unleashed a series of flat, cris-cross exchanges.
Why It Matters
The Indians couldn't take early control of the rallies as He Ji Ting and Ren zoomed to a 5-0 lead with fast, attacking strokes in short and snappy exchanges. They kept their serves tight and flat while maintaining an angled attack.
Back on their preferred side of the court, Satwik and Chirag kept themselves within striking distance at 11-13.
After a few flat exchanges, the Chinese pair managed to take a two-point advantage into the interval.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by Rediff as more details emerge
