Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the final of the China Masters BWF Super-750 tournament in Shenzhen on Sunday. The world No.5 Indians went down to the world No.1 Chinese duo of Lian Wei Keng and Wang Chang 19-21, 21-18, 19-21 in the men's doubles final.
A splendid late rally by the Indians in the decider rattled the Chinese but was not enough. Trailing 13-20 in the decider, Satwik-Chirag saved six championship points before the Chinese had the last laugh. Saving six match points is no mean task but a net chord saved the day for the Chinese.
At 19-20, the teams were involved in a fiercely-contested rally. After a few exchanges, Chang Wang's return brushed the net. A confused Chirag lifted the shuttle a bit high enabling Wang to secure a smash winner. The valiant show by the Indians in the final of a major tournament will surely bolster their confidence.
But the Indians have themselves to blame for allowing the Chinese to secure a 8-1 lead in the crucial third game. Coming back from such a deficit against a top team is always a herculean task. But the never-say-die attitude of the Indians enabled them to come close to an unlikely victory. After taking the second game, Satwik-Chirag showed unnecessary urgency in the third. They made too many unforced errors at the start and conceded a big lead.
This is the first loss in the finals for Satwik-Chirag in 2023. They have won the Swiss Open, Indonesia Open, Korea Open, Asian Championships and the gold at the Asian Games.
Japan's Kodai Naraoka defeated compatriot Kenta Nishimoto 21-13, 21-13 to win the men's singles title. China's Chen Yu Fei emerged women's singles champion after her teammate Han Yue retired after the second game 18-21, 21-4.
In an all-Japanese women's doubles final, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida defeated Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota 21-18, 21-11.
Chinese top seeds Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong bagged the mixed doubles title. In the final they defeated Korea's Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yu Jung 21-10, 21-11.
