Satwik-Chirag had earlier made it to the final of the Hong Kong Super 500 last week, where they lost in the title clash against China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in three games. That was their first final on the World Tour in 2025, having suffered a string of semifinal losses earlier in the season. This week in Shenzhen, Satwik and Chirag have been in ruthless form, not dropping a game so far on their way to the final. Read more about their semifinal win here. “In the first half of the year, we got a lot of breaks because of injuries and I think right now we both are in good condition, fingers crossed, and hopefully we’ll continue this form,” Satwik told BWF on Saturday.
China Masters: Satwik-Chirag defeat Chia-Soh twice in a row, reach back-to-back finals with dominant win
The key to beating the best pairs seems to be Satwik-Chirag’s improved defensive structure and counterpunching skills. (BWF/Badminton Photo)
You wait so long for one, then two come along in quick time. This was the sentiment last week at the Hong Kong Open, when Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Lakshya Sen ended long waits to reach a final on the BWF World Tour. It was doubly true on Saturday in Shenzhen at the China Masters. Firstly, Satwik-Chirag reached back-to-back finals after a string of semifinal exits. Secondly, they have now registered back-to-back wins against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik – a pair that has caused them many a heartache in the past – with a supremely confident performance, prevailing 21-17, 21-14 in just 41 minutes.
After their run to the semifinals at the World Championships in Paris – during which they beat Chia-Soh in the quarterfinals, also in straight games – the Indianstold this daily in an interview about the second stint with coach Tan Kim Her being different to the first. When the Malaysian, along with Pullela Gopichand, decided just under a decade back to break up their then partnerships and pair them together, it was all about following the master’s instructions. Now, it’s a two-way street. “We were very young, we used to just follow him, whatever he told us. We just used to listen to him. But now, it’s two-way. We share our things, what is working and what is not working,” Satwik had said. It was interesting to see how that played out in the semifinal, too.’
