Satwik-Chirag reach China Masters final for third time in four years

India's top-ranked men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the China Masters final for the third time in four years after beating Malaysia's Nur Mohd Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Indian duo prevailed 21-16, 18-21, 21-11 in an hour and six minutes at the Shenzhen Arena to book their place in the title clash.

The victory means the 2022 Asian Games champions have reached the China Masters final three times since 2023, underlining their consistency at the Super 750 tournament.

Satwik and Chirag endured a difficult start to the semifinal, falling 0-5 behind. The Indians quickly turned things around, however, producing a seven-point run to move 7-5 ahead.

They maintained control for the remainder of the opening game to take it 21-16.

The Malaysian pair responded in the second game and managed to force a decider by winning it 21-18.

Satwik and Chirag then regained control in the third game. The Indians raced ahead and kept the Malaysians under pressure throughout, eventually closing out the contest 21-11.

The Malaysian pair saved two match points before the Indian duo sealed their place in the final.

Satwik and Chirag will face either Malaysia's Tee Kai Wun and Yap Roy King or China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in Sunday's title clash.

The Indian pair will now look to add another China Masters crown to their growing list of major international titles.