China masters: Satwiksairaj and Chirag one victory away from second Super 750 title
Shenzhen, November 25
Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dished out another attacking masterclass to progress to the men’s doubles final at the China Masters here today. The former world No. 1 pair stands one step away from its second BWF super 750 title.
Rankireddy and Shetty, who had won their first BWF World Super 750 title at the French Open last year, notched up a 21-15 22-20 win over the newly-formed Chinese duo of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in an explosive semifinal that lasted 50 minutes.
The top seeds will face another Chinese pair in the summit clash. In the other semifinal, second seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang defeated compatriots Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi 21-17 14-21 21-15.
The first semifinal saw some exciting rallies as both the pairs played at a frenetic pace but it was the Indians who had more sting in their attack as they penetrated the defence of their opposition.
The world No. 50 pair of He and Ren, who had a title-winning run last week at the Japan Masters, did show its prowess, especially in the second game, but Rankireddy and Shetty displayed great mental fortitude to close the issue in straight games.
Playing the Chinese pair for the first time, Rankireddy and Shetty produced another attacking game, their electric pace making life difficult for their opposition.
Shetty was unstoppable with his interceptions as he patrolled the front court and pounced on anything remotely weak, while Rankireddy made some loopy returns at the backline along with his thunderous smashes.
The Indians didn’t put a foot wrong, leading from the start to move from 6-2 to 10-4 in a jiffy. The duo often created those tough angles for their opponents.
The Chinese were no pushovers and produced a barrage of smashes which were negotiated well by the Indians. The Chinese duo tried to regroup and claimed four of the next five points after resumption to cut the deficit to 10-12. However, once the Indians got back the serve, they again mounted their attack with Shetty often creating the opportunity with his blocks for Rankireddy to provide the finishing touch.
Soon the Indians led 18-10. They had seven game points and they converted on the third chance when He went to the net.
Nothing changed in the second game as both the pairs fought for supremacy in some fierce rallies but this time the Chinese combination managed to lead 4-3 at one stage.
The Chinese pair did better with their frontcourt play in the second game to lead 8-6. A couple of errors meant He and Ren moved to a healthy three-point cushion at the interval.
After resumption, the Indians tried to focus on varying the pace and working on the angles in the rallies and it reaped dividends as they clawed back at 13-13.
Two clever shots on the backcourt helped the Indians make it 15-15. They held a two-point cushion at 19-17. The Chinese made it 19-19 but Rankireddy and Shetty sealed the match off their second match point.
