No Plan B for Satwik-Chirag as Indian pair conquer China Masters

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty say they have no Plan B, preferring to rely on their strengths while adapting tactics to opponents. The Indian pair credited improved fitness for their China Masters triumph and gained confidence ahead of their Asian Games title defence

New Delhi: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty do not believe in a Plan B. Instead, the Indian badminton stars prefer to stick to their strengths while making the necessary adjustments to counter different opponents, a formula that helped them conquer the China Masters.

The world No. 5 pair, who finished runners-up at the 2023 and 2025 editions, stressed the importance of sticking to their strengths while adapting their tactics according to their opponents.

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“It’s always Plan A, there is no Plan B for us. It always depends on the opponents. The Chinese want to play a fast game. If you are playing with Malaysians and Indonesians, they are not attacking,” Satwik said during a virtual interaction on Monday.

Both Satwik and Chirag attributed their recent historic triumph to a marked improvement in their physical condition following a disappointing outing at the BWF World Championships.

The Indian pair rallied to beat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in the final on Sunday to claim their maiden China Masters title and second BWF World Tour crown of the season.

“We were much better physically after the World Championships. That was the difference mainly,” Satwik said.

Chirag, meanwhile, said the gruelling nature of their matches in China had helped them prepare physically and mentally for the title clash.

“When we played five matches in the China Open, we played three games barring the first round. That was good,” Chirag said.

The victory was the duo’s 10th BWF World Tour title and has provided a major confidence boost ahead of their Asian Games title defence later this month.