Satwik-Chirag enter China Masters Super 750 final

Shenzhen (China) : Star Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dished out another attacking masterclass to stand one step away from their second BWF super 750 title after progressing to the men's doubles final at the China Masters here on Saturday.

The former world No. 1 Indian pair, 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 semi-final that lasted 50 minutes.

The top seeds will face another Chinese pair in the summit clash, the winners of Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi and second seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.

The match 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 number 50 pair of He and Ren, who had a title-winning run last week at the Japan Masters, did show their prowess, especially in the second game but Satwik and Chirag displayed great mental fortitude to close the issue in straight games.

Playing the Chinese pair for the first time, Satwik and Chirag produced another attacking game, their electric pace making life difficult for their opposition. Chirag was unstoppable with his interceptions as he patrolled the front court and pounced on anything remotely weak, while Satwik added 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, who entered the break with a healthy 11-6 lead after Satwik unleashed a booming smash on a return to serve.

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 Chirag often creating the opportunity with his blocks for Satwik to provide the finishing touch.