India’s World No. 7 men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have advanced to the final of the Li-Ning China Masters Super 750 after a commanding semifinal victory over Malaysia’s world No. 2 duo, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, on Saturday. The Indian pair won in straight games, 21-17, 21-14, in a match lasting 41 minutes.
Before this match, the two pairs had a career head-to-head of 4-11 in favor of the Malaysians, highlighting the challenge Satwik and Chirag faced.
Although they had lost to Chia and Soh in the China Open semifinals earlier this year, the Indian duo had previously defeated the same pair in the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Championships, demonstrating their growing mastery and ability to prevail in high-pressure encounters.
In the China Masters semifinals, Satwik and Chirag showcased their tactical intelligence, sharp net play, strong smashes, and seamless coordination, successfully overcoming a higher-ranked Malaysian pair who had been aiming for their sixth final appearance of the year at the China Masters.
This win marks their second consecutive final appearance, having reached the final at the Hong Kong Open last week.
Satwik and Chirag had built up momentum in the tournament with strong performances in the earlier rounds. In the Round of 32, they defeated Indonesia’s Junaidi Arif & Roy King Yap 24-22, 21-13.
In the Round of 16, they overcame Chinese Taipei’s Hsiang Chieh Chiu & Wang Chi-Lin 21-13, 21-21, before comfortably dispatching China’s Ren Xiang Yu & Xie Haonan 21-14, 21-14 in the quarterfinals.
Satwik-Chirag will face the winner of the other semifinal, where the top-seeded korean pair, Kim Won Ho & Seo Seung Jae, take on Indonesians Fajar Alfian & Muhammad Fikri in a highly competitive clash for a spot in the final.
