India’s shuttler pair Satwiksairaj-Chirag storm into China Masters semi-final with straight set victory

Shenzhen [China]: India’s star shuttler duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the semi-final of the ongoing China Masters on Friday with a third consecutive straight-set victory.

While facing the Indonesian pair of Daniel Marthin and Leo Rolly Carnando the top-seed Indian pair exercised control throughout the game which lasted for around 46 minutes. In the first set, the Indian pair clinched a comfortable 21-15 victory.

The game started on equal footing as the scoreline read 14-14 with both pairs playing on the attacking front. But the Indian pair levelled up their game and took away the first set.

In the second set, Satwik and Chirag continued to ride high on confidence and established an early lead. The Indian pair continued to attack and eventually took away the game with a 21-16 victory. They will now face the Chinese pair of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in the semi-final clash.

Earlier in the tournament, Satwiksairaj-Chirag won over Japan’s Akira Koga-Taichi Saito of Japan 21-15, 21-16. In the opening game, the Indian pair led by 11-9 at the halfway mark and won the game by 21-15. Satwiksairaj-Chirag continued their domination for the next game as well, winning the match in 46 minutes.

The Indians have a great record against the Indonesian pair, winning three head-to-head meetings against them.

Results at China Masters 2023, a BWF Super 750 event, will be counted towards players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The qualification window for badminton started on May 1 this year and will conclude in April 2024.