Satwik-Chirag delighted to break China Masters jinx ahead of Asian Games

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended their China Masters title drought with a thrilling three-game victory over China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu. The win, their second title of 2026, gives the Indian pair valuable momentum ahead of the Asian Games

Shenzhen: India’s star men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty described their China Masters triumph as an end to a “jinx” and a “huge boost” ahead of the 2026 Asian Games.

Satwik and Chirag, who missed out on a medal at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi last month, defeated China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a thrilling three-game final on Sunday.

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The Indian duo had reached the China Masters final twice previously but fell short on both occasions. Their victory on Sunday ended that run of near-misses.

“Playing here is always good. We have played (here) always coming back from injury. I think in 2024, after Olympics, we played here; we played the semis. Then last year we played; we weren’t in good shape, and we played finals. I think this also like after coming back from injury, I think this has been a tournament that gave us a lot of confidence,” Satwik told reporters after the win.

Satwik and Chirag had been stretched to three games in most of their matches at the tournament. They once again fought back after losing the opening game in the final.

“I think today we held our nerve. We didn’t do mistakes. So that was a positive from today’s match, and we are just sticking to the game plan. We made a game plan before coming. We wanted to do that. So I think that has worked today, and we are really happy we kind of broke the jinx. Second title in 2026. We are really happy,” Satwik said.

The Indians lacked their usual aggression in the opening game and were urged by their coach from the sidelines as they mounted a comeback in the next two games.

“Yeah, in the first game I think it wasn’t lacking (aggression), but I think we were not playing the right strokes. We were playing a style which favoured them. And when we play a style which favours them, they come all guns blazing.

“You don’t really find any space to play against them because they are extremely fast and furious. So in the second game when we started, we wanted to be aggressive, but mindfully aggressive. And that’s what he was telling,” Chirag said.

Satwik then produced a strong serving spell in the deciding game, winning five consecutive points to help seal the match.

“I think it’s very rare I get five points in my service. It’s always Chirag who takes the game.

“But I think again, I think in the quarterfinals when we played with Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, I think that match gave confidence. It was a similar scenario, 17 all, we were down. I was serving then. I have practised more in the service because I was injured. When I was injured, I was also doing a lot of serves. So I think that has helped me in the last two tournaments,” Satwik said.

The victory gives the Indian pair valuable momentum ahead of the Asian Games, which begin on September 19.

“Obviously, going into the Asian Games, winning a title definitely gives a huge boost that, yes, what we are working for is in the right direction. But yeah, I think we’ll go back home, push ourselves to the limit, train for the next 10 days and go all guns blazing at the Asian Games,” Chirag said.