CHENNAI: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are back on top yet again. The Indian duo pulled off a hard-fought win (11-21, 21-13, 21-17) over the Chinese duo of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu at the Shenzhen Arena in Shenzhen to capture the China Masters title in their third attempt.
The Indians showed their grit and experience to navigate tough periods of play before eventually getting the better of the Chinese combo in 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is the Indian duo's second title of the season after Singapore Open success in May.
In the opening game, the Indians were thoroughly outplayed by the Chinese pair, who had reached the semifinals of Thailand Open and Badminton Asia Championships earlier this year.
The Indians just couldn't match the Chinese duo's pace and trickery and they were also guilty of several unforced errors which proved to be their undoing. Both He and Ren were at their very best as they landed some eye-catching returns to leave the Indians second-guessing. The Chinese duo mixed their strokes very well, hitting some drop shots and angled returns to create daylight between the two sides, eventually going on to pocket the opener by a comfortable margin.
The Chinese duo's proficiency was once again visible during the opening rally in the second essay. The Indians dug deep to make it the longest rally (at the time) -- 39 shots -- but the Chinese duo ended up finding the right stroke towards the end to fetch the point. Chirag's pushes in front of the net that would generally fetch the Indians some points was not bringing the same kind of joy as the Chinese pair displayed amazing defence to keep the rallies going. However, the Indians flipped the script with some sharp play of their own, building a sizeable lead in process. The cracks soon started to appear in the Chinese duo's game as the Indians continued to apply the pressure before going on to take the match to the decider.
The home pair once again made a fast start in the third essay. With some good serves and follow-up shots, the Chinese pair took a 4-0 lead. Despite SatChi's fighting display, the Chinese continued to stay ahead until the closing stages. It was like a chess match until that point with both sides showing hunger and determination, making it an thrilling battle. But the Indians took home five unanswered points to snatch the match and the title.