By Sudipta Biswas

Copyright timesnownews

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, stormed into the final of the China Masters on Saturday. Playing with high intensity and exuberant confidence, they knocked out their fiercest rivals on the circuit – Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik – 21-17, 21-14 in the semifinal of the BWF Super 750 event in just 41 minutes. This was the Indians’ fifth win in 12 meetings against the Malaysians, and their second successive final on the World Tour after last week’s Hong Kong Open Super 500. In their second meeting since the Indians’ quarterfinal victory over Chia and Soh at the World Championships in Paris, World No. 7 Satwik and Chirag once again got the better of the Malaysians – this time with Satwik’s relentless smashes from the backcourt and Chirag’s crafty execution at the net dismantling Chia and Soh’s flat game. With Chirag maintaining a vigilant presence at the net and Satwik capitalising on the lifts, Chia was often forced into errors, pushing shuttles wide. Momentum shifts and Indians’ breakthrough The Indian duo started off with a 2-1 lead before the Malaysians drew level at 7-7. Chia and Soh briefly surged ahead with a three-point cushion through flat exchanges, forcing an error from Satwik at the net. The Indians responded, levelling at 10-10 when Chia’s smash clipped the net. At the interval, the Malaysians held a slender one-point lead, courtesy of Soh’s slick mid-court dab that left Chirag stranded. Satwik then produced a brilliant over-the-head drop shot to restore parity. Errors began creeping into the Malaysians’ game. Chia’s mistake at the net gifted the Indians a 12-11 lead, and although Chirag conceded a service fault deemed too high, making it 13-13, the Indians quickly regained composure. Chia’s growing frustration was evident as his flicks failed to clear the net. A thunderous supersmash from Satwik – the one who unleashes the fastest shot in badminton – broke Chia’s defence and propelled the Indians to a 17-14 lead. Luck also seemed to favour the Indians when Satwik’s smash hit the net but trickled over the cord, extending their lead to 18-14. Desperate, the Malaysians challenged the point, but the chair umpire stood firm: “It was not wrong.” A long rally followed, and it ended in the Indians’ favour, with Chia sending the shuttle wide, giving Satwik and Chirag a 19-15 lead. Soh would test Satwik’s defence briefly with precise body smashes, but the Malaysians faltered at the crucial moment. A line misjudgment by Chia handed Satwik and Chirag four game points. In the decisive rally, the Malaysians tried creating angles with flat exchanges, but the Indians’ relentless retrievals forced Chia wide. The smash fest In the second game, the Indian pair grew in confidence, with Satwik unleashing a smash-fest from the backcourt, earning them a 4-2 lead. Chirag, meanwhile, dominated the net, forcing a slew of unforced errors from left-handed Chia, who struggled to execute clean drops. What started with Chia, Soh – the better player on the other half of the court – soon saw him under pressure, as Chirag’s flat smash from the net tore through Soh’s defence, stretching their lead to 8-3. The Malaysians clawed back briefly with sharp cross-court winners, but Satwik responded with back-to-back booming smashes, a reminder of why he is called the King of Smash. Better coordination between the Indians forced Chia out of position, resulting in another error as he dumped the shuttle into the net, giving the Indians a comfortable 11-6 lead at the interval. The Malaysians attempted to fight back with quick flat exchanges. Satwik found the net once, and Chirag sent a shuttle long, trimming the deficit to 9-11. But it was clear who owned the court. Satwik’s smashes forced Soh wide, while Chirag imposed himself at the net to push the lead to 15-9. A touch of fortune again sided with the Indians when Satwik’s smash trickled over the tape and dropped dead in front of Soh. He offered a quick apology, but the Indians were already racing away at 17-13. The Malaysians’ struggles compounded as they sent shuttles wide and misjudged lengths, handing the Indians seven match points at 20-13. Chirag sealed the contest in style with a leaping smash that shattered the Malaysians’ defence. Satwik and Chirag are in the zone now, eyes fixed on their first title of the year. One final hurdle stands between them and glory – perhaps one more tricky left-right combination. But they no longer willing to flinch. With confidence radiating from every shot and every move, they are ready to seize the moment.