India's seasoned badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have punched their ticket to the China Masters final, coming through a tense three-game semifinal against Malaysia's pair on Saturday. The Indians won 21-16, 18-21, 21-11 in a contest that stretched to 1 hour and 6 minutes, and they will now take on a home Chinese pair for the title, with the crowd's support squarely behind their rivals.
The result marks the third time in the last four years that Satwik and Chirag have reached the final of this event, yet the trophy has continued to slip through their fingers. They were beaten in the summit clash in both 2023 and 2025, finishing as runners-up on each occasion, so their fan base will be hoping this is finally the edition where a final appearance turns into silverware. The pair's form has been on an upward curve through the year, and they arrive at this final on the back of winning the Singapore Open title in May.
A 0-5 hole turns into a comfortable opening game
The fourth-seeded Indians did not have the smoothest of starts, falling behind 0-5 early in the first game against their Malaysian opponents. Rather than let the deficit unsettle them, Satwik and Chirag hit back by winning seven points in a row, a run that featured a gruelling 34-shot rally at its centre, to move in front 7-5. A string of errors from Malaysia's Noor then let the Indian pair stretch that advantage to 10-6, and although Satwik and Chirag gave away a few points of their own in the process, they still went into the mid-game interval leading 11-9. They held their nerve from there to close out the opening game 21-16.
Malaysia hit back to force a decider
Facing an early deficit in the semifinal, the Malaysian pair regrouped and produced a much sharper display in the second game, winning it 21-18 to level the match at one game each. That result meant the outcome of the semifinal would now be decided in a third and final game.
India dominate the decisive game to seal the final berth
There was no such slip-up from Satwik and Chirag in the decider. Backing themselves on the longer exchanges, the Indian pair raced away to an 11-4 lead by the mid-game break, and Satwik soon widened that gap further with another thumping smash that took the score to 13-6. As the game progressed, the toll of the contest began to show on the Malaysian pair, whose movement slowed and whose confidence visibly dropped, handing the Indians complete control of the game. A precise, well-placed shot from Chirag then opened up a cushion of 11 match points for India. Malaysia's Tan managed to save the first two, but Chirag made no mistake on the third, closing out the point with a cunning serve to seal the game 21-11 and book India's place in the final.
A history of getting the better of this Malaysian pair
Even before Saturday's semifinal, Satwik and Chirag already held the upper hand over this same Malaysian pair, having won their two previous meetings, at the 2024 Thailand Open and the 2025 Malaysia Open, for a 2-0 head-to-head record. The Indian duo, who are also Asian Games gold medallists and are currently ranked world No. 5, will now look to convert their third China Masters final appearance in four years into a maiden title when they meet the Chinese pair for the championship.
