China Masters 2023: The top-seeded Indian men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with HS Prannoy, secured victories, advancing to the quarterfinals of BWF World Tour Super 750 in Shenzhen.
Satwik and Chirag dominated their second-round clash, defeating the Japanese duo Akira Koga and Taichi Saito in straight games (21-15, 21-16). The Indian duo avenged their previous loss to the same Japanese pair in the Singapore Open earlier this year (18-21, 21-14, 18-21).
The top-seeded Indian duo secured a tightly contested first game with a score of 21-15. Carrying their momentum into the second game, they established an 11-5 lead and closed out the match with a final score of 21-16, despite a spirited fight back from the Japanese pair, Koga and Saito.
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In men's singles, HS Prannoy secured a comfortable straight-game victory (21-12, 21-18) against 21-year-old Magnus Johannesen of Denmark. Despite a spirited effort from Magnus in the second game, Prannoy's experience prevailed as he claimed five consecutive points to seal the set.
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Looking ahead, Prannoy is set to face the winner between Denmark's Anders Antonsen and Japan's Kodai Naraoka in the quarterfinals. The duo of Satwik-Chirag will be in action against the Indonesian pair of Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin on Friday.
On Wednesday, star Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth faced divergent outcomes, leading to their early exit from the competition. Lakshya Sen, currently ranked World No. 17, experienced a defeat at the hands of seventh-seeded Chinese player Shi Yuqi, with a scoreline of 19-21, 18-21.
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On the other hand, Kidambi Srikanth, positioned at World No. 24, encountered a three-game battle against world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. Srikanth lost with scores of 15-21, 21-14, 13-21.
Both Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth are striving to secure positions within the top 16 rankings by April 28 next year to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Additionally, young Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat faced elimination from the tournament after a defeat to Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, with a score of 17-21, 14-21, in a match lasting 46 minutes.