Indian doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty booked their place in the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 after defeating Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in a thrilling three-game quarterfinal on Friday.
Satwik- Chirag produced a fighting performance to overcome Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 21-13, 16-21, 21-18 and storm into the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament.
The Indian duo made a confident start and took the opening game 21-13. However, the Danish pair fought back strongly in the second game, winning it 21-16 to force a decider.
With a semifinal spot at stake, Satwik and Chirag held their nerve in the third game. The Indians managed to maintain their composure during the crucial stages and closed out the deciding game 21-18 to seal a hard-fought victory.
The win continues the Indian pair’s impressive record at the China Masters. Satwik and Chirag have now reached the semifinals in every edition of the tournament since 2019. They finished runners-up in 2023 and 2025.
The victory also marked the Indian pair’s second win over Astrup and Rasmussen at the China Masters. Satwik and Chirag had previously defeated the Danish combination in the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2024.
Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth’s China Masters campaign came to an end in the quarterfinals. The Indian shuttler was beaten by Hong Kong China’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in straight games, going down 16-21, 16-21.
China Masters 2026: Results
Men’s Doubles, Quarterfinal: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (India) bt Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark) 21-13, 16-21, 21-18
Men’s Singles, Quarterfinal: Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong China) bt Kidambi Srikanth (India) 21-16, 21-16
