Satwik-Chirag lose to nemesis Aaron-Soh in China Open

India’s top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the China Open after suffering a straight-game defeat to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals of the Super 1000 badminton tournament here Saturday.

The Asian Games champions once again found themselves on the losing side against the world No. 2 Malaysian duo, who have proven to be a persistent hurdle in their path.

Satwik and Chirag went down 13-21 17-21 to 2022 World champions and two-time Olympic bronze medallists Aaron and Soh.

This was the 14^th meeting between the two pairs, with the Malaysians maintaining a dominant 10-3 head-to-head record. Notably, Aaron and Soh had also ousted the Indian pair in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

“We had our chances, especially in the second game. I think we were not playing the right game. We were playing strokes which we shouldn’t have, taking more on Aaron and I think that’s what took the game away from us,” Chirag said.

“It was a good tournament but sad that we had to go out this way. We should have played a little more tactically. We had planned it but we didn’t execute it as well.

“It will take some time. think we’re still not at our 100 % as yet. We need to get these matches. I think we can’t be as sloppy.”

Despite the setback, Satwik and Chirag can take heart from another strong campaign at the Super 1000 level.

The Indian pair had booked their place in the semifinals with a hard-fought win over another Malaysian duo, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, in the quarters on Friday.

It has been a season of consistent performances for the Indian pair, who also reached the semifinals of the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open earlier this year.

While they have yet to convert those deep runs into titles, their steady presence in the business end of major tournaments keeps them among the top contenders on the circuit. They also reached the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open and suffered a second-round exit at the Japan Open last week.

“It was quite difficult after the Olympics. To change everything suddenly. I was injured, I changed my trainer as well. When we started again, we started quite good....then few personal issues, then played All England, then lot of injuries,” Satwik said.

“So there is no right rhythm at the right time. Once you’re playing good again, we are getting some break.

“But overall if you look back, I think we are on the right page. We are doing all things right. It just needs to be believed. And it’s just a matter of time I think. Once we get playing continuously Tournaments, I think we’ll be there.”

The Indians have sent their entries for the Macau Open super 300 but the next big title will be the World Championships in Paris in August 25 to 31.

“We are not putting any expectations. We’ll see how it goes,” Chirag signed off.