They had reached the summit clash of the $1.25 million tournament twice, in 2023 and 2025, only to walk away as runners-up. NEW DELHI: For Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty the Shenzhen Arena had become a familiar theatre of near misses.
This was not merely a victory but a resounding statement of intent. Earning their second title of the season from three finals, following their triumph at the Singapore Open in May, Satwik and Chirag proved once again that they are India’s best bet in badminton going into any tournament. “We were playing a style which favoured them and when we do that, they come out all guns blazing. You don’t really find any space to play as they are extremely fast and furious.”
The Super 750 event served as the ultimate crucible for the Indian pair weeks before they fly out to defend their Asian Games crown in Japan.
“In the first game, we weren’t lacking (aggression), but were not playing the right strokes,” said Chirag.
“In the second game when we started, we wanted to be aggressive, but mindfully aggressive. “Playing here is always good. “This has been a tournament that gave us a lot of confidence. We wanted to execute that. I’m really happy we broke the jinx. “It’s very rare that I get five points on my service. “But I was practicing more on the service when I was injured. Opponents target my service. We have seen a lot of videos, people targeting me… practice has helped me.”
During the mid-match intervals, coach Tan Kim Her’s frantic plea to “be aggressive” and “put your hands up” echoed over live broadcast. Chirag said the adjustment wasn’t about mindless power, it was about calculated, clinical execution. And that’s what he was telling us,” said Chirag. We have always played coming back from injury,” Satwik said. It’s always Chirag who takes the game,” Satwik said with a smile.
Today, we held our nerves, didn’t make easy mistakes and had a game plan before coming.
