India's Badminton Pair Secures Semi-Final Spot at China Masters

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the China Masters semi-finals with a victory over Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. Despite Indian singles player Lakshya Sen's exit, the doubles pair aims to face either Japan's or Korea's representatives next.

India's premier men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, progressed to the semi-finals of the China Masters 2024 in Shenzhen with a straight-set victory. The duo emerged victorious over Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with scores of 21-16, 21-19, according to Olympics.com.

Starting strong, the Indian duo dominated the initial game with a 21-16 win. Although the Danish pair attempted a comeback in the second game, Satwik and Chirag clinched the match 21-19. The semi-finals will see them face either the Japanese pair of Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi or South Korea's Jin Yong-Seo Seung Jae.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Satwik-Chirag defeated Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard. Meanwhile, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen exited the tournament following his loss to Anders Antonsen. Other Indian players, including mixed doubles duo B Sumeeth Reddy-N Sikki Reddy, faced defeats against higher-ranked opponents, concluding their tournament run prematurely.

(With inputs from agencies.)