HS Prannoy and Satwiksairaj/Chirag both defeated their opponents to enter the quarterfinals of the 2023 China Masters Super 750.
India’s ace shuttlers have kept their and the country’s hopes alive in the ongoing China Masters by reaching the quarterfinals. Both HS Prannoy and the pair of Satwik/Chirag progressed to the quarterfinals of the China Masters in Shenzhen on Thursday. The China Masters is a BWF World Tour Super 750 event and it could bolster the chances of each shuttler in the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024.
The Asian Games bronze medalist, HS Prannoy displayed astronomical control and skills on the court to dominate the game against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen. Prannoy wrapped up the proceedings with ease in just 40 minutes. The eighth-seeded Indian controlled the proceedings right from the start as he opened up an 11-7 lead. Magnus could win only five more points in the first game as Prannoy won it 21-12.
The second game saw Johannesen put up a better fight, but he still trailed 8-11 before levelling the score at 11-11. However, Prannoy soon showed his vast experience to open up a decisive 18-15 lead. Even though Johannesen fought back with a slew of points, the Indian had amassed a lead that ensured he wrapped up the match 21-18.
India’s no.1 men’s doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been in scintillating form this year. Fondly known by the portmanteau of “SatChi”, the duo are the only men’s doubles pair from India to win the BWF World Tour 1000 and be ranked as the number 1 pair in the BWF World Ranking. Subsequently, they are riding on their red-hot form in the ongoing China masters. Asian Games gold medallists Satwik and Chirag defeated Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito 21-15, 21-16 in 46 minutes. In the quarterfinals, the Indian duo will face either Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen or Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin.
Rankireddy and Shetty, who dropped from World No. 1 after their Asian Games campaign to No. 5, got the better of Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito. The Indian top seeds managed to keep their nose ahead in a tightly contested opening game. They extended an 11-9 lead to 14-11. Subsequently, they completely outplayed the Japanese pair in the latter stages to pocket the first 21-15. Rankireddy and Shetty carried forward the newfound momentum in the second game as well. They opened up an 11-5 lead before wrapping the match 21-16. It was a clean and straight game as their coach Mathias Boe had anticipated against a lower-ranked opponent. Although Koga and Saito tried their best to make a comeback, the Indian duo were too hot to handle on court.
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