New Delhi: India’s leading men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 after overcoming Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in a hard fought quarterfinal on Friday.
The fourth seeded Indian duo prevailed 21-13, 16-21, 21-18 in a 70 minute contest to continue their strong run on the international circuit. Satwik and Chirag, who finished runners up at the Thailand Open Super 500 before winning the Singapore Open Super 750 in May, produced another composed performance under pressure.
The Indians made an aggressive start, quickly opening a 5-1 advantage and controlling the rallies with powerful attacking shots. They extended their lead to 16-9 before closing out the opening game.
Astrup and Rasmussen responded strongly in the second game. After the scores were level at 15-15, the Danish pair produced a decisive six point surge across two runs to force a decider.
The final game remained closely contested, with neither side able to establish a significant advantage. With the score tied at 17-17, Satwik and Chirag raised their intensity and collected three consecutive points to move within one point of victory. Despite conceding a point, they kept their composure to finish the match 21-18.
Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth’s China Masters campaign ended in the quarterfinals. The former world No.1 lost 16-21, 16-21 to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in 39 minutes.
Srikanth had entered the last eight after defeating Canada’s world No.9 Victor Lai in straight games. However, Lee Cheuk controlled crucial phases of the quarterfinal, particularly after recovering from early deficits in both games.
The 30-year-old Hong Kong player will face France’s world No.2 Christo Popov in the semifinals.
