Satwik-Chirag break China Masters jinx, eye Asian Games title defence

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty believe their decision to remain “mindfully aggressive” helped them finally break their China Masters jinx, with the victory providing a major confidence boost ahead of their Asian Games title defence.

The Indian duo produced a stirring comeback to defeat China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 11-21 21-13 21-17 in the final on Sunday and clinch the USD 1,250,000 China Masters Super 750 title on their third attempt.

It was their second title of the 2026 season and their first at the China Masters.

“Playing here is always good. We have always played (well) coming back from injury. In 2024 after Olympics we played here, we played semis. Then last year we played, we weren't in a good shape. We played finals,” Satwik said.

“This also, after coming back from injury, has been a tournament where it gave us a lot of confidence. This week has been the same story. Except the first round, all the games we have played three games,” he added.

Satwik said the pair managed to hold their nerve in the deciding moments of the final and stayed committed to the plan they had drawn up before the tournament.

“Today, we kind of held the nerve. We didn't make easy mistakes in the end. So that was a positive from today's match. And we are just sticking to the game plan,” he said.

“We made a game plan before coming. We wanted to do that. If it works, then it's good. If not, we'll go back and work again. So I think that has worked today and really happy. We kind of broke the jinx and I think second title in 2026. Really happy.”

The victory comes just weeks before the Asian Games, where the Indian pair will defend their title. The Games are scheduled to begin in Japan from September 19.

For Chirag, the China Masters triumph offers timely momentum.

“It feels really special. Obviously, going into the Asian Games, winning a title definitely gives a huge boost that yes, what we are working for is in the right direction,” he said.

“We will go back home, push ourselves to the limit, train for the next 10 days and go all guns blazing at the Asian Games. We want to go out there and have some fun.”

The Indians struggled in the opening game, but Chirag said the problem was not a lack of aggression but poor shot selection that allowed their opponents to dictate the pace.

“In the first game, it wasn't lacking but we were not playing the right strokes. We were playing a style which favoured them. And when we play a style which favours them, they come all guns blazing. You don't really find any space to play against them because they are extremely fast and furious,” he said.

The pair then changed their approach in the second game.

“So in the second game when we started, we wanted to be aggressive, but mindfully aggressive. And that's what he (coach) was telling,” Chirag said.

Satwik's service game also proved crucial. He opted for the flick serve at key moments and picked up several points, something he attributed to work done during his recovery from a recurring shoulder injury that has troubled him for much of the season.

“It's very rare I get five points on my service. It's always Chirag who takes the game. In quarterfinals when we played with Kim-Anders, I think that match gave confidence,” Satwik said.

He recalled a similar situation in the quarterfinals when the score was 17-17 and he was serving.

“I was practising more on the services because I was injured. When I was injured also, I was doing a lot of services and catching it. So I think that has helped me in the last two tournaments. But I think it's just a feeling, mental thing,” he said.

“You just need to catch something, serve and believe in yourself. There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes with the coach, training, the same thing. Because we know opponents will target me when I'm serving. So we have seen a lot of videos, people targeting me in the service. They want to challenge me. So I think I have been practising that. I think that has helped me.”

The final ultimately became a test of composure. The Chinese pair had led for much of the deciding game, but Satwik and Chirag drew level at 16-16 before taking control and closing out the match.

“In the third game, we were pretty much calm. Even Chirag was telling, 'we are under control'. We didn't panic much, actually. So we just served and played according to the schedule. That has helped us,” Satwik said.