Satwik-Chirag pair storms into China Masters semifinals; Sindhu bows out 

India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their consistent run to advance to the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament but PV Sindhu bowed out after falling yet again to Olympic champion An Se Young here on Friday.

Satwik and Chirag, the former world No.1 Indian duo, who recently clinched their second World Championships bronze in Paris and finished runners-up at the Hong Kong Open last week, produced a clinical performance to outclass Chinese pair of Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan 21-14 21-14 in the quarterfinals.

“We felt quite comfortable out there. Our goal was just to focus on our game and see how they responded. Right now, the way we’re playing, it feels great — especially being able to play back-to-back matches freely, without any niggles, really happy with how we played today,” Satwik said.

Chirag added: “I think we made it tough for them right from the start. We didn’t allow them to settle into the game at all. They’re definitely a strong pair, but our plan was to keep things simple and take an early lead — and we managed to do that. So yes, really happy with the performance.”

Currently ranked ninth in the world, Satwik and Chirag will face their arch-rivals and second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the semifinals on Saturday.

Earlier, double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu’s woeful run against world No.1 An Se Young continued, as the Indian suffered her eighth straight defeat against the Korean, going down 14-21 13-21 in the women’s singles quarterfinals.

“Last week wasn’t great for me, but this week has been really positive. Reaching the quarterfinals has been encouraging, and I think the key now is to maintain that level and stay consistent in everything I do,” Sindhu said.

SatChi on the charge

Satwik and Chirag got off to a flying start, unleashing a flurry of smashes to race to a 7-0 lead. A couple of errors allowed the Chinese to close in at 3-8, but the Indians maintained their rhythm to enter the interval with an 11-5 advantage.

While Ren and Xie attempted to change the pace with quick flat rallies and front-court play, the Indians remained sharp and aggressive. Chirag’s flick serve made it 13-7, and another intense rally ended with the Chinese hitting wide to give India a 17-10 lead.

A sharp body attack and a precise toss saw the Indians surge ahead, and they pocketed the opening game after converting their second game point.

The second game was a closer affair in the early exchanges, with both pairs level at 7-7. However, the Indians pulled away to lead 11-9 at the mid-game interval courtesy of disciplined net play and sharp smashes.

After the break, Satwik and Chirag upped the ante, with Chirag firing two consecutive smashes to make it 19-13. They sealed the match after converting their first match point with another aggressive stroke.

Sindhu no match for An

Sindhu’s struggles against An Se Young continued, as the Korean dominated proceedings from the start.

Sindhu started poorly and trailed 1-6 before narrowing it to 5-9 with a delicate cross-court drop.

However, An used her trademark smashes to open up an 11-5 lead at the interval. Sindhu managed to close in at 11-14 but the Korean maintained her grip and sealed the opener when the Indian buried one into the net.

In the second game, Sindhu briefly led 3-2 but An soon regained control. The Indian tried to push with attacking play and trailed 7-8, but An’s superior deception and variety helped her go into the break 11-7 ahead.

An pulled away to 14-7 after resumption and never looked back.

Sindhu played some fine front-court drops and round-the-head smashes to gather a few points but the Korean was always a step ahead.

The Korean grabbed eight match points with a cross-court smash and sealed it when Sindhu erred again.

“I think there were some good rallies, but I made a few unforced errors. I gave her an early lead, and she kept maintaining a 5-6 point advantage throughout. Even when I tried closing the gap, she would pull ahead again. Overall, though, it was a good experience - I’m playing against her after a long time,” Sindhu said.

“Now, I need to reflect on what needs improvement on my end and come back stronger. I do feel I could have played more consistently today, but next time I face her, I’ll keep that in mind and give it my all.”