Satwiksairaj and Chirag Storm into China Open Finals

India's formidable men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have successfully secured a spot in the finals of the prestigious China Open. In a decisive semifinal encounter, they outplayed the Chinese duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, triumphing 21-17, 21-14 in just 41 minutes.

The Indian pair, affectionately known as 'Sat-Chi', are set to compete in the final on Sunday, with the other men's doubles semifinal concluded later. Having reached their second final this season, they look to overcome the setback of their Hong Kong Open defeat to Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.

Earlier at the Hong Kong Open, Satwik and Chirag were narrowly defeated, but they made a formidable comeback in China, defeating Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan 21-14, 21-14 in the quarterfinals. Despite their World Championships bronze in August, they seek their first BWF World Tour title this year since their win at the Thailand Open in May 2022.