Indian Badminton Stars Shine in China Masters
Indian badminton ace P.V. Sindhu and the dynamic men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty powered into the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 on Thursday. They both grabbed straight-set wins, boosting India’s campaign in Shenzhen.
Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, made light work of Thailand’s world No. 6 Pornpawee Chochuwong. She clinched the match 21-15, 21-15 in just 41 minutes. This victory not only secured her spot in the last eight but also evened their head-to-head record at 6-5.
After the game, Sindhu shared her excitement. "I’m thrilled with this win. From the start, I stayed sharp and gave it my all," she said. "Chochuwong is a top player—we had a tough battle at the Indonesia Open. Winning the first game helped me stay focused in the second. Points were tight, so I had to stick close. Every point matters, and I’m glad I came out on top."
Coming off a first-round exit at last week’s Hong Kong Open, Sindhu looked fired up. "Straight wins like this build real confidence," she added. "But you must gear up for longer matches too—stay quick on your feet." She also tackled the tricky air-conditioning drift in the Shenzhen arena: "Wind is part of every tournament, but controlling it can be tough sometimes."
Sindhu’s recent form owes a lot to her new coach, Indonesia’s Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who now guides India’s women’s singles team. "Our partnership is going great," she said. "It took time to sync up, but we’ve figured out the changes. He’s putting in his best, and as an athlete, I do the same."
Next, Sindhu faces a big test against world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea. The Korean has dominated their seven previous meetings, winning six in straight games. Can Sindhu break through?
In men’s doubles, world No. 3 pair Satwik and Chirag dominated Chinese Taipei’s Wang Chi-lin and Chiu Hsiang-chieh 21-13, 21-12 in a swift 33 minutes. This sets up a quarterfinal showdown with China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan.
Chirag called it a solid performance. "It felt great to win so comfortably," he said. "Wang Chi-lin is experienced with two Olympic golds, so facing him is always challenging. They pushed us to three games in Hong Kong last week, but we wrapped it up quick. Confidence made the difference today."
Satwik agreed, highlighting their sharper play. "After the World Championships, early rounds in Hong Kong were tough. Our first match here was close, but winning it boosted us. We avoided silly errors from last time—focused on the basics like service and returns. That kept rallies in check."
The duo credited growing confidence for their success. "We’re steadily getting back to our best," Chirag noted. Looking ahead to the Chinese pair, Satwik laughed about their matchup style. "We’ve faced so many lefty-righty combos lately—Hong Kong, now here. Chinese players bring strong strokes, plus the home crowd. But we thrive on this rivalry."
Shenzhen holds a special spot for Satwik and Chirag. "We’ve been runners-up in semis before," Satwik said. "This time, we aim to podium properly—not just as runners-up."
With these wins, Indian badminton fans have plenty to cheer as the China Masters quarterfinals heat up. Stay tuned for more updates on PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag, and the latest badminton news!
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