Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finally made it at the China Masters in style, fighting back to defeat He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu and clinch their maiden China Masters Super 750 title on Sunday.
Producing a sensational comeback in their game, the Indian pair defeated the home favourites 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a gruelling three-game finale that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.
The maiden victory also saw Satwik and Chirag claim their 10th BWF World Tour title and extend their head-to-head record against He and Ren to 3-0. It is their second title of the season after winning the Singapore Open Super 750, while they also reached the final of the Thailand Open Super 500.
The Indian pair were pegged back in the summit clash as the Chinese duo brought relentless speed to the court. They dragged Satwik and Chirag into quick exchanges at the front of the court, using their pace to create openings for smashes whenever the Indians dropped their intensity.
Satwik and Chirag went down 0-5 almost immediately and never really found their rhythm in the opening game. The Chinese pair closed it 21-11, leaving the Indians with a huge task to fight their way back into the final.
But the Indian pair changed the complexion of the match in the second game. Chirag was at the heart of the tactical shift. Instead of allowing He and Ren to dictate the pace of the rallies, the Indians began putting greater pressure on the Chinese pair and forcing them to cover more of the court.
The change allowed the bronze medallists at the BWF World Championships to move their opponents across the court, creating opportunities to attack with combinations of smashes rather than relying on single powerful hits.
The third game was a battle of nerves as the dramatic decider unfolded. He and Ren held a narrow 11-10 lead, while the Indian duo stayed within touching distance despite continuing to make some unforced errors in defence.
Satwik’s tactics from the back of the court also began to have an impact. He repeatedly lifted the shuttle towards the backhand side of the Chinese pair, forcing them to play slower returns and making them work hard.
The Indians could not comfortably capitalise on the strategy, with errors continuing to creep into their game. However, their aggression kept them level even as their defence threatened to let them down.
The decisive moment came when Satwik and Chirag moved ahead 18-17. Errors began creeping into He and Ren’s game as the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd appeared to weigh on the Chinese pair.
Brimming with confidence, Satwik produced an audacious flick serve that caught He and Ren off guard, leaving them off balance. The Indians capitalised to win the point and moved closer to victory.
After failures in 2023 and 2025, the Indian duo finally had their moment in China. They earned it the hard way, coming back from a game down and holding their nerves when the final was at its tightest.