India’s premier men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament. However, PV Sindhu was eliminated after losing to Olympic champion An Se Young on Friday.Satwik and Chirag, who previously held the world No.1 ranking, demonstrated their prowess by defeating Chinese duo Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan 21-14 21-14 in the quarterfinals. The Indian pair recently secured their second World Championships bronze in Paris and finished as runners-up at the Hong Kong Open.“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.“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,” Chirag added.Currently ranked ninth globally, the Indian duo is expected to face their Malaysian rivals, second-seeded Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in Saturday’s semifinals.In the women’s singles quarterfinals, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu suffered her eighth consecutive defeat against world No.1 An Se Young, losing 14-21 13-21.“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.Satwik and Chirag dominated the opening game with a commanding 7-0 lead. Despite the Chinese pair closing the gap to 3-8, the Indians maintained control and led 11-5 at the interval.The Chinese pair attempted to alter the game’s pace, but the Indians’ aggressive play prevailed. They secured the first game after converting their second game point.The second game began more competitively, with both pairs tied at 7-7. The Indians pulled ahead to lead 11-9 at the mid-game interval through precise net play and powerful smashes.Satwik and Chirag maintained their momentum after the break, with Chirag delivering consecutive smashes for a 19-13 lead. They claimed victory on their first match point.In Sindhu’s match, An Se Young established early control, leading 6-1. Sindhu reduced the deficit to 5-9 with a skillful cross-court drop.An extended her lead to 11-5 at the interval. Despite Sindhu’s effort to close the gap at 11-14, the Korean secured the first game when Sindhu hit into the net.Sindhu briefly led 3-2 in the second game before An regained control. The Indian trailed 7-8 despite showing attacking intent, and An led 11-7 at the break.An extended her lead to 14-7 after resumption. Although Sindhu displayed skill with front-court drops and round-the-head smashes, An maintained her advantage.The Korean secured eight match points with a cross-court smash and won when Sindhu made an error.“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.”
