The Indian badminton duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty fell short of securing their third BWF title of the year, losing to South Korea’s Jin Yong and Seo Seung Jae in the semifinals of the China Masters BWF Super-750 tournament in Shenzhen on Saturday. The Indians were defeated in a hard-fought match that ended 18-21, 21-14, 16-21, lasting one hour and 14 minutes.
Strong start but defensive lapses
Satwik-Chirag began with confidence, leading 16-12 in the first game. However, a series of unforced errors and a lucky net chord turned the momentum in favour of the Koreans, who took the opening game. The Indian pair bounced back strongly in the second game. From a slim 9-7 lead, they dominated with powerful smashes to extend their advantage to 13-7, eventually clinching the game with ease.
Decisive third game and a marathon rally
The final game proved to be the decider, with both pairs engaged in a gruelling 54-shot rally, the longest of the match. Despite their attacking prowess, Satwik-Chirag struggled to break through the Korean defence. At 19-16, Seo Seung Jae produced a brilliant drop shot to set up match point, which Jin Yong sealed with a half smash.
Koreans advance to the final
The South Korean pair, playing only their second tournament together, will face Indonesia’s unseeded duo Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Phlevi Isfahani in the final.
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