Shenzhen, Sep 2026 : India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a spirited comeback to defeat China’s home pair and clinch the men’s doubles title at the China Masters, a BWF Super 750 tournament, here on Sunday.
The world No. 5 Indian duo overcame a slow start to register an 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 victory in a gripping 70-minute final. The triumph marked their 10th career title on the BWF World Tour and further strengthened their impressive record at the Super 750 level.
Satwik and Chirag, who had finished runners-up at the China Masters in 2023 and 2025 and reached the semi-finals in 2024, finally went one step further this year. Their victory also made them the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win the tournament since its inception in 2005.
The reigning Asian Games champions have now secured their second Super 750 title of the year and fourth overall. The China Masters final was also their third BWF World Tour final of 2026. They finished runners-up at the Thailand Open in May before capturing the Singapore Open later that month.
The Indians, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi last month, bounced back strongly to claim a major title on the international circuit.
The Chinese pair started the final aggressively, racing to a 5-0 advantage and immediately putting Satwik and Chirag under pressure. Despite attempts by the Indians to reduce the deficit, their opponents maintained control and entered the interval with an 11-5 lead. The Chinese continued to dictate the rallies and wrapped up the opening game 21-11 in just 18 minutes.
The second game initially followed a similar pattern, with the Chinese taking a 2-0 lead. However, Satwik and Chirag quickly found their rhythm, levelling the score at 3-3 and later 6-6. The Indian pair then began to dominate proceedings, using their powerful attacking play and aggressive smashes to move ahead 11-7 at the break.
Satwik and Chirag extended their advantage to 17-11 and successfully resisted a late challenge from the Chinese pair to win the game 21-13 and force a decisive third game.
The decider again saw the Chinese start strongly, opening up a 4-0 lead. But the Indians displayed composure and fighting spirit to claw their way back and level the score at 7-7. Satwik and Chirag then edged ahead and carried an 11-9 advantage into the final interval.
With the title within reach, the Indians held their nerve during the closing stages. A crucial four-point winning streak helped them establish the decisive advantage, and they eventually closed out the decider 21-17.
The victory capped another memorable campaign for the Indian pair and provided a strong response after their disappointing World Championships exit last month.
