Shenzhen, Nov 25: Star Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dished out another attacking masterclass to stand one step away from their second BWF super 750 title after progressing to the men’s doubles final at the China Masters here on Saturday.
The former world No. 1 Indian pair, who had won their first BWF World Super 750 title at the French Open last year, notched up a 21-15, 22-20 win over the newly-formed Chinese duo of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in an explosive semifinal that lasted 50 minutes.
The top seeds will face another Chinese pair in the summit clash, the winners of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi and second seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
The match saw some exciting rallies as both the pairs played at a frenetic pace but it was the Indians who had more sting in their attack as they penetrated the defence of their opposition.
The world number 50 pair of He and Ren, who had a title-winning run last week at the Japan Masters, did show their prowess, especially in the second game but Satwik and Chirag displayed great mental fortitude to close the issue in straight games.
Playing the Chinese pair for the first time, Satwik and Chirag produced another attacking game, their electric pace making life difficult for their opposition.
Chirag was unstoppable with his interceptions as he patrolled the front court and pounced on anything remotely weak, while Satwik added some loopy returns at the backline along with his thunderous smashes.
The Indians were simply sensational as their immaculate coordination of moving back and forth only aggravated the worries of the Chinese pair.
Satwik and Chirag have won the Badminton Asian Championships, Indonesia Super 1000, Korea Super 500, Swiss Super 300 and the Asian Games gold medal in a stellar year.
The BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Tour is divided into six levels, namely World Tour Finals, four Super 1000, six Super 750, seven Super 500, and 11 Super 300. One more category of the tournament, the BWF Tour Super 100 level, also offers ranking points.
Each of these tournaments offers different ranking points and prize money. The highest points and prize pool is offered at the Super 1000 level. (PTI)
