China Masters 2024: Satwik-Chirag go down fighting to Korean pair in semifinals
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ndia's campaign in the China Masters 2024 came to an end on Saturday with the top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down fighting to a South Korean pair in the semifinals in the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.
Rankireddy and Shetty, the sixth-seeded pair in the event, lost in three games to Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae of the Republic of Korea, with scores of 18-21, 21-14, and 16-21 in a 74-minute encounter on Court 1 at Shenzhen Gymnasium. The Indian pair had reached their first semifinal since the Paris Olympic Games and were confident about reaching the final. However, the reigning Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallists, along with the 2022 World Championships bronze medallists, got off to an indifferent start as they lost the first game.
In the first game, after a close battle until the halfway stage, where Rankireddy and Shetty held a slight advantage for most of the time, they took off from a 13-12 score to open up a 16-12 gap. However, the Korean pair won the next four points to tie the score at 17-all and went on to win the game 21-18.
The Indian pair came back strongly in the second game, surging ahead from a 6-6 tie to establish a three-point lead. Rankireddy and Shetty maintained their advantage throughout, winning the game 21-14 and forcing a decider.
In the third game, Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae, who regularly pair with Kang Min Hyuk and are ranked sixth in the BWF world rankings, grabbed the lead after a 3-3 tie by winning the next three points. Although Rankireddy and Shetty fought back to narrow the gap to 7-8, the Korean pair then won five points in succession to open up a 13-7 gap.
Rankireddy and Shetty, currently ranked 21st in the world, managed to reduce the margin to 13-14. However, after trailing 15-16, the Koreans won four points in a row to extend their lead and eventually won the game 21-16, sealing their place in the final.
Despite their loss in the match, reaching the semifinals will serve as a significant boost for Rankireddy and Shetty as the season draws to an end.
✔️ China Masters 2024: Satwik-Chirag go down fighting to Korean pair in semifinals
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