Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 21-15, 22-20 to enter the final of China Masters 2023. The Indian pair have won six of the last seven semi-finals they have contested in this calendar year. Satwik-Chirag will now face the victor of the bout between Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi and Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang in the final, aiming to collect their fourth BWF gold of the year. (Badminton News)
The only Indian representation left at the Shenzhen Bay Gymnasium, Shenzen, China, the Men’s Doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty entered the semi-finals after beating Indonesian duo Leo Carnando and Daniel Marthin in successive sets. Previously, Satwik-Chirag had dispatched Japanese pair Akira Koga and Taichi Saito and English duo Ben Lane and Sean Vendy to cruise though the competition.
The top-seeded Indian pair are looking for a fitting end to what has been a remarkable year for them, so far. Satwik and Chirag won the gold in Men’s Doubles at the Swiss Open in March, followed by another in Indonesia in June, and a third in South Korea in July. In October, they defeated South Korea’s Choi Sul-gyo and Kim Won-ho for the Asian Games gold - the pinnacle of their shimmering career thus far.
