Satwik-Chirag advance to last 16 in China Masters; Lakshya exits

India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept their momentum alive at the China Masters with a commanding straight-game win, but the country’s men’s singles campaign came to an abrupt end as Lakshya Sen suffered a first-round exit on Wednesday.

Fresh from finishing runners-up at the Hong Kong Open last week, Satwik and Chirag battled hard in the opening game before prevailing 24-22, 21-13 over Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in just 42 minutes. The victory also extended their flawless head-to-head record against the Malaysian duo.

The first game saw both pairs locked in a close fight, but the Indians held their nerve to edge ahead at the finish. In the second, they quickly built an 11-6 lead and never allowed their opponents a chance to recover.

In contrast, Lakshya, who also finished runner-up in Hong Kong, could not reproduce the same form. The 23-year-old was outclassed 11-21, 10-21 by France’s Toma Junior Popov in just 30 minutes, ending India’s men’s singles hopes after Ayush Shetty’s earlier defeat.

There was further disappointment in mixed doubles as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto went down 19-21, 13-21 to China’s second seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.

In women’s singles, P V Sindhu remains India’s brightest hope. The two-time Olympic medallist, who won her opening match on Monday, will next face sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals.