Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty eased past Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia 21-17, 21-14 in the semifinals of the China Masters BWF Super-750 tournament in Shenzhen on Saturday. With an all-out attack throughout the 41 minutes, the Indians powered into their second summit clash this year in two weeks. This is the second China Masters final for the Indians. In 2023, they had lost to Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the final. With improved defence and front court play, the Indians, feared for their smashing power, were at their dominant best against Chia-Soh. The Malaysians were in the contest only till 10-7 in the first game. Known for his excellent front court play and defence, Chia made three crucial unforced errors, allowing the Indians a comeback. Thereafter, Chia made at least half-a-dozen errors. From 15-14, Indians moved to 19-14. In the second game, the Indians were off to an 8-2 start. The closest the Malaysians could come was 9-11. After the break, Satwik-Chirag scored four straight points to take the contest beyond the Malaysians.
