November 24, 2024: India’s Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2024 China Masters in Shenzhen after a thrilling battle against the Republic of Korea’s Seo Seung Jae and Jin Yong. The Indian men’s doubles duo, ranked 9th in the world, fought hard but were ultimately defeated by the South Korean pair with a scoreline of 21-18, 14-21, 21-16 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes.
First Game: The match started with intense rallies. The Indian pair had a promising start, leading 16-12 after the break. However, Seo and Jin made a strong comeback with a five-point rally, eventually winning the first game 21-18.
Second Game: Satwik and Chirag found their rhythm and responded strongly. They built a four-point lead at the break, which they maintained to win the second game 21-14, leveling the match at 1-1.
Third Game: The decider proved to be a tough contest. The Indian pair fought aggressively, but the South Korean duo’s solid defense and pace took a toll on the Indians. Despite some impressive rallies, Satwik and Chirag slipped to a 6-point deficit (13-7) and couldn’t recover, eventually losing the game 21-16 and the match.
This loss also ended India’s campaign at the BWF Super 750 event in Shenzhen, marking a disappointing end to their semi-final run. However, the Indian duo had a commendable run, defeating the world No. 3 Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the quarter-finals and the 15th-ranked Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard in the round of 16. They also started with a win over the world No. 10 Chinese Taipei duo of Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan.
