Former World No. 1s Kidambi Srikanth and the star men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty delivered sensational performances to storm into the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen, China
Srikanth pulled off a stunning upset over Canadian World No. 9 and recent World Championship bronze medallist Victor Lai, winning 21-18, 21-19. Showcasing tactical brilliance in their maiden meeting, Srikanth clawed his way back from an 11-15 deficit in the opening game before snatching the final three points from 18-19 down in the second to seal the victory.
The win secures Srikanth’s first Super 750 quarterfinal berth since 2021, where he will face Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Satwik-Chirag Beat Toma Junior Popov And Christo Popov
In men’s doubles, former World No. 1 pair Satwik-Chirag held off France’s Toma Junior Popov and Christo Popov 21-17, 22-24, 21-9.
After the French pair snatched a tense second game, the Smash Bros stamped their authority in the decider, opening a 6-1 lead and wrapping up the match in 69 minutes. They will lock horns with Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen in the last eight.
Notably, Satwik and Chirag started their campaign with a straight-game win against Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing in the round of 32. The fourth-seeded Indians triumphed 21-11, 21-16 in 40 minutes on Court 1.
The World No. 5 duo’s previous appearance was at the BWF World Championships last month, where their campaign ended in the quarterfinals.
End Of Campaign For Tanvi, Dhruv And Tanisha
Meanwhile, Tanvi Sharma fought valiantly for 66 minutes before falling 17-21, 21-18, 16-21 to Japan’s World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in the women’s singles.
The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also bowed out to their Chinese Taipei opponents.
