Satwik-Chirag storm into China Masters semifinals; Srikanth exits

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in three games to reach the China Masters semifinals. Veteran Kidambi Srikanth, however, suffered a straight-game quarterfinal loss to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu

Shenzhen (China):: India’s ace men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty battled through a gruelling three-game contest against Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen to storm into the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 on Friday, even as veteran Kidambi Srikanth’s campaign ended in the men’s singles quarterfinals.

The fourth-seeded Indian pair prevailed 21-13, 16-21, 21-18 in a 70-minute battle to keep their impressive run going after a silver-medal finish at the Thailand Open Super 500 and a top-podium finish at the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament in May.

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The Indian pair will meet the Malaysian duo of Nur Mohd Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong, ranked 29th in the world, in the semifinals.

Satwik and Chirag came out firing, racing to a 5-1 lead and dictating the rallies with a flurry of winners. They maintained their attacking rhythm to open up a seven-point cushion at 16-9 before comfortably pocketing the opening game.

The Danes, however, upped the intensity in the second game, matching the Indian duo shot for shot. Locked at 15-15, Astrup and Rasmussen produced a decisive burst of six points across two runs to force a decider.

The third game lived up to its billing, with neither pair willing to surrender an inch.

At 17-17, the contest hung in the balance, but Satwik and Chirag dug deep when it mattered most, stringing together three crucial points to move to 20-17. After conceding one, the Indians held their nerve to seal the match and book their place in the last four.

Srikanth’s run came to an end in the quarterfinals as the former world No. 1 was outplayed in straight games by Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.

The 33-year-old Indian, who had shown flashes of his vintage best while finishing runner-up at the US Open Super 300 earlier this year, went down 16-21, 16-21 to the 25th-ranked Lee Cheuk in a 39-minute contest.

Srikanth had looked sharp in the previous round, dispatching world No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada 21-18, 21-19 in the Round of 16.

But against Lee Cheuk, the Indian found himself chasing the game for long stretches, particularly after surrendering the momentum midway through the opening game.

Srikanth made a brisk start, racing to a 3-0 lead, but Lee Cheuk was quick to settle into a rhythm. The Hong Kong shuttler reeled off three points to level at 3-3 before turning the screws with a six-point burst that took him to 14-6.

Srikanth tried to claw his way back, but the deficit proved too steep as Lee Cheuk kept his composure to pocket the opening game.

The second game produced a much tighter battle. Srikanth again came out firing, moving 4-0 ahead, only for Lee Cheuk to draw level at 4-4. Thereafter, the rallies grew longer and the margins thinner, with the lead changing hands several times as the two traded points all the way to 15-15.

Just when Srikanth appeared to be within touching distance, Lee Cheuk found another gear. He strung together three points to surge 18-15 ahead and then shut the door with another three-point burst, wrapping up the match in straight games.

Lee Cheuk, 30, who had produced one of his standout performances at the Singapore Open in May, recovering from a difficult position to stun All England champion Lin Chun-yi, will next face world No. 2 Christo Popov of France in the semifinals