China Masters Final: Satwiksairaj, Chirag go down in straight games, settle for runner-up spot

Beijing [China], September 21 (ANI): India's highly rated men's pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty once again saw the gold medal slip out of their grasp after they came up short in the final at the China Masters on Sunday.

At Shenzhen Arena, Satwik and Chirag faced a stern test against world number one and recently crowned World Champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea. Despite putting in the hard yards, the Indian duo failed to complete the quest and went down with a 19-21, 15-21 defeat in a contest that lasted for 45 minutes.

Last week, the duo settled for a runner-up spot at the Hong Kong Open 2025 after fumbling against China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. At the end of August, Satwik and Chirag had to make do with a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships after suffering a heartbreak in the semi-final against Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China. The pattern once again continued for the duo.

In a final that was decided in straight games, the South Korean pair raced to a 0-3 lead in the opening game, but Satwik and Chirag chopped down the deficit to restore parity at 3-3. In the fast-paced rallies, the Indian pair thrived with their attacking intent and quickly gained a 10-7 lead.

The Indian pair went from strength to strength and established a handy 14-7 advantage. The unforced errors came back to haunt them as the South Korean's mounted an imposing comeback. Kim and Seo relentlessly pursued their opposition and caught up to them at 15-all. The world number one pair reclaimed their lead at 18-19 and eventually wrapped up the game to go 1-0 ahead.

The second game bore a resemblance to its predecessor, with Satwik and Chirag enjoying a slender advantage at 8-6. However, once again, the South Korean shuttlers turned the tide after the halfway mark. With precision and a delightful drop shot, the path for gold was clear. Satwik pushed his return serve long, handing the crown to Kim and Seo. The Indian pair was forced to reflect on another silver lining finish in the quest for the top honours. (ANI)

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