Indian Doubles Stars Exit China Open After Semifinal Loss

Semifinal Setback for Indian Duo

India's leading doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, faced elimination from the China Open, falling to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a straight-game defeat during the semifinals of the Super 1000 badminton tournament on Saturday.

The Asian Games champions encountered the world No. 2 Malaysian pair once again, who have consistently posed a challenge for them.

The Indian duo lost with scores of 13-21 and 17-21 against the 2022 World champions and two-time Olympic bronze medalists Aaron and Soh.

This match marked their 14th encounter, with the Malaysians holding a commanding 10-3 advantage in their head-to-head record. Notably, Aaron and Soh had previously eliminated the Indian pair in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals.

Chirag reflected on the match, stating, "We had opportunities, particularly in the second game. I believe we weren't playing our game effectively. We took unnecessary risks against Aaron, which ultimately cost us the match."

"It was a good tournament, but it's disappointing to exit this way. We should have been more strategic. Although we had a plan, we failed to execute it properly."

"It will take time. I think we are still not at our peak performance. We need to gain more match experience and avoid being careless."

Despite this loss, Satwik and Chirag can take pride in their strong performance throughout the Super 1000 event.

They secured their semifinal spot after a tough victory over another Malaysian pair, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, in the quarterfinals on Friday.

This season has seen the Indian pair consistently reach the latter stages of tournaments, having also made it to the semifinals of the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open earlier this year.

While they have yet to clinch a title, their consistent presence in the latter rounds keeps them as strong contenders on the circuit. They also reached the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open and faced a second-round exit at the Japan Open last week.

Satwik shared, "It has been challenging since the Olympics. We had to make sudden changes. I was injured and switched trainers. Initially, we started well, but then faced personal issues and injuries during the All England tournament."

"Finding the right rhythm has been tough. Once we start playing well again, we seem to get breaks."

"Looking back, I believe we are on the right track. We are doing everything correctly; it just requires belief. It's only a matter of time before we start performing consistently in tournaments."

The Indian pair has registered for the Macau Open super 300, but their next significant challenge will be the World Championships in Paris from August 25 to 31.

"We are not setting any expectations. We'll see how things unfold," Chirag concluded.