NEW DELHI: Indian badminton duo
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
and
Chirag Shetty
advanced to their second consecutive semifinals by defeating China's
Ren Xiang Yu
and
He Ji Ting
in straight games at the
Malaysia Open Super 1000
tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
The Indian pair, ranked second in the world and Asian Games gold medalists, demonstrated control in the rallies and assertiveness at the net, securing a dominant 21-11, 21-8 victory over China's Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting in a swift 35-minute quarter-final encounter.
The second-seeded Indian pair will now face either Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae or the third-seeded Malaysian duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
On the flip side, in the women's doubles quarterfinals,
Ashwini Ponnappa
and
Tanisha Crasto
suffered a defeat, losing 15-21, 13-21 to Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in a 39-minute match.
Despite their impressive win against former world no. 1 champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, the Indian pair couldn't sustain their performance against the Japanese duo, marking their second loss to them.
Satwik and Chirag, who had an exceptional 2023 season with six titles, displayed a near-perfect game, showcasing lightning-fast exchanges, well-paced rallies, and strategic variety.
They took a commanding lead in the first game, quickly closing it out. Maintaining momentum after the interval, the Indian pair secured a convincing victory with a scoreline of 21-11, 21-8.
The Chinese opponents appeared clueless against the masterful performance of Satwik and Chirag, who claimed victory with 12 match points, converting on the second opportunity.
(With PTI inputs)
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