China Masters: Satwik-Chirag enter semifinals
The Indian duo defeated World No. 2 pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, 21-16 21-19.
The Indian duo defeated World No. 2 pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, 21-16 21-19.
The Indian duo defeated World No. 2 pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, 21-16 21-19.
Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday with victory over Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark.
The Indian duo posted a 21-16 21-19 win over the World No 2 pair in 47 minutes. Satwik and Chirag are playing their first tournament since the Paris Olympics. They will play either eighth seeds Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan or Korea's Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae in the last-four clash.
The Indians looked in great touch, going up 11-8 at the break and then extending it to 16-10. Despite having six game points, a net error from Chirag and a powerful smash from Rasmussen delayed the first game's outcome.
The Danes dominated the second game and took a 7-5 lead, but the Indians found their way back to be 11-10 at the interval. The game was edgy with scores of 16-15, 17-16 and 19-18 until Chirag got India closer to game point with a well-placed push and Satwik sealed the deal with a smash.