China Masters: Encouraging start for Sat-Chi as they look for form ahead of the Asian Games

There were encouraging signs for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as they overcame the challenge of the opening round of the China Masters, the prestigious BWF World Tour Super 750, in Shenzhen on Wednesday, September 2. The fourth seeds needed just 40 minutes on court to defeat unseeded Malaysians Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai in the opening men’s doubles.

It was a comfortable win for the former world number one in doubles on a day when India witnessed mixed results. While Kidambi Srikanth got past the higher-ranked Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei, Lakshya Sen, India’s top-ranked men’s singles player, lost to China’s world number nine Victor Lai in straight games.

However, 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma won her women’s singles opening match against Denmark’s Amalie Schulz 21-16, 21-17. The World Junior Badminton Championship silver medalist, who won the Taipei Open Super 300 this year, will face Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki in the second round.

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

It was a confidence booster for Satwik and Chirag, who did not look convincing at the World Cup in New Delhi last month. Satwiksaraj, who did not look his best in Delhi after returning from injury break when the local pair reached the quarter-finals. But on Wednesday, Satwik looked comfortable without any shoulder straps. The tall shuttler from Andhra Pradesh was able to unleash his big smashes at will and tormented Arif and Xing throughout the competition. The rotations between Satwik and Chirag were as fluid as ever, with the duo looking hungrier for more.

After leading 11-4 in the first game, Satwik and Chirag did not look back as they closed out the opening game in a flash. The second match was more balanced. At one point, the Indians trailed 15-16, but won a five-point run to ensure the game was not decided in the opening round.

Questions were raised about Satwik’s recovery from a shoulder injury when they crashed out in the quarter-finals in New Delhi, losing to world number three Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in straight games. Satwik admitted that a long-term injury was on his mind, but it did not affect how he played in front of his home crowd.

The very fact that Satwik and Chirag have traveled to Shenzhen to play at the China Masters is an encouraging sign as the world No. 5 pair look for match practice ahead of the Asian Games where they will aim to defend their gold medal.

Satwik and Chirag will face Christo and Toma Junior Popov of France in the second round. It will be Satwik and Chirag’s first meeting against the French brothers in three years. The Indians have a 2-0 record against the French pair.

Satwik and Chirag have reached the finals of the China Masters in 2025 and 2023 respectively, with Shenzhen being one of their favorite hunting grounds.

OTHER RESULTS

The Indian mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also entered the next round as they beat Thailand’s Tonnakorn Saeheng and Tonnicha Saeheng 21-8 21-9. Next up, the duo will face Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Hsu Yin-Hui.

However, Devika Sihag lost 18-21 15-21 to Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbant to end her campaign.

The mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde also failed to clear the opening hurdle, losing 16-21 18-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin. (With PTI inputs).

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

02 Sep 2026 20:23 IST