Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made an impressive start to their China Masters campaign, comfortably winning their opening-round match at the prestigious BWF World Tour Super 750 event in Shenzhen on Wednesday, September 2. The fourth-seeded Indians needed only 40 minutes to defeat unseeded Malaysian pair Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing in the men's doubles.
The former World No.1 duo secured a straightforward victory on a day when India experienced mixed results. Kidambi Srikanth pulled off a win over higher-ranked Chinese Taipei shuttler Chi Yu Jen, while Lakshya Sen, India's top-ranked men's singles player, suffered a straight-game defeat against China's World No.9 Victor Lai.
In women's singles, 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma also progressed after beating Denmark's lower-ranked Amalie Schulz 21-16, 21-17. The junior world championships silver medallist, who won the Taipei Open Super 300 earlier this year, will next take on Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
The win provided a much-needed boost for Satwik and Chirag after their unconvincing run at last month's World Championships in New Delhi. Satwik had only recently returned from an injury layoff and appeared short of his best as the Indian pair reached the quarter-finals.
In Shenzhen, however, Satwik looked far more comfortable and played without any shoulder strapping. The tall Andhra Pradesh shuttler unleashed his powerful smashes consistently, putting Arif and Xing under pressure throughout the match. His combinations with Chirag were also smooth, with the pair displaying their familiar attacking intent.
The Indians raced to an 11-4 advantage in the opening game and quickly wrapped it up. The second game was more competitive, with Satwik and Chirag trailing 15-16 at one stage. They responded by winning five consecutive points to close out the contest without needing a deciding game.
Their quarter-final exit in New Delhi, where they lost in straight games to World No.3 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, had prompted questions about Satwik's recovery from his shoulder problem. Satwik had acknowledged that the long-term injury had affected him mentally, although it did not prevent him from performing in front of the home crowd.
Their decision to travel to Shenzhen for the China Masters is itself a positive indication as the World No.5 pair seeks valuable match practice ahead of the Asian Games. They will be aiming to defend the gold medal they won at the previous edition.
Satwik and Chirag will face French brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov in the second round. It will be their first meeting with the pair in three years. The Indians currently lead their head-to-head record 2-0.
The China Masters has been a successful venue for Satwik and Chirag, with the Indian pair reaching the final in both 2023 and 2025.
OTHER RESULTS
India's mixed doubles combination of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also advanced after defeating Thailand's Tonnakorn Saeheng and Tonnicha Saeheng 21-8, 21-9. They will next face Chinese Taipei's Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui.
Devika Sihag, however, was eliminated after losing 18-21, 15-21 to Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova.
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde also failed to progress, suffering a 16-21, 18-21 defeat against Chinese Taipei's Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin in the mixed doubles opening round.
