Satwik-Chirag pair outwits nemesis Aaron-Soh, seals knockout berth at BWF World Tour Finals

Hangzhou, Dec 19 (PTI) India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty maintained their unbeaten run to storm into the knockout stage of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, beating arch-rivals Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in their final Group B match here on Friday.

Seeded third, Satwik and Chirag showed composure and tactical acumen after dropping the opening game to edge out the Paris Olympic bronze medallists 17-21, 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 70-minute contest. They are the first Indian men's pair to reach the semifinals of the season-ending event.

The only unbeaten pair in Group B, the Indian duo came into the match needing just one game to seal a semi-final berth, despite trailing 5-11 in head-to-head meetings against the Malaysians. They did far more than required, adjusting their strategy mid-match to wrest control from their opponents.

After conceding the first game, Satwik and Chirag held their positions better, varied their returns and mixed lifts with sharp drives to disrupt Aaron and Soh’s rhythm.

It was another absorbing contest, played at furious pace from the outset, as both pairs focused on getting the service and receive right before working sharp, awkward angles to unsettle each other. The early exchanges were intense and even, with neither side giving away easy points as the score stayed locked at 6-6.

The Malaysians then inched ahead to 9-6, but Satwik and Chirag responded with a targeted assault on Soh Wooi Yik to draw level after Aaron Chia went wide. A net error from Aaron made it 10-10 before Soh produced a steep smash to give Malaysia a slender one-point cushion at the interval.

Post-break, a couple of errors from Satwik and then Chirag allowed the Malaysians to stretch the lead to 13-10. Mixing placements with controlled aggression rather than outright power, Aaron and Soh moved to 15-11 and then surged to 18-12, with Soh’s sharp backhand doing the damage.

Satwik landed a fine smash but was caught in a flat exchange as Malaysia earned three game points, sealing the opening game at the first opportunity.

The second game followed a similar script, with both pairs keeping the shuttle flat and attacking early. A thunderous smash from Aaron helped Malaysia edge ahead, but the Indians stayed in touch and drew parity with a series of punishing returns. Satwik and Chirag briefly took control by varying lifts with sharp drives and smashes.

The momentum swung repeatedly before the Indians wrested back control late in the game, saving themselves with composure and heavy hitting. Despite a brief interruption that saw Chirag being shown a yellow card for delaying play, the Indians unleashed a barrage of smashes to force the decider and, in the process, secure their knockout berth.

With the monkey off their backs, Satwik and Chirag took a 11-9 lead with a four-point burst after a shaky start. From there, they tightened their grip on the rallies and pulled away steadily to 15-11.

With Satwik and Chirag firmly in control of the rallies, the lead soon stretched to 17-13 as Aaron found the net. Another flat exchange ended in a further error from the Malaysian, leaving the Indians just two points from victory when Aaron went long.

Chirag’s inside-out attempt then struck the net, but Satwik responded with a superb return off the serve to earn five match points. They sealed the contest in style with Chirag delivering another probing serve that Soh buried into the net.

India's presence at the year-end finale has been sporadic yet significant. PV Sindhu remains the only Indian to win the title, claiming the women's singles crown in 2018, while Saina Nehwal reached the final in 2011.

In doubles, Jwala Gutta and V. Diju were mixed doubles finalists at the 2009 Super Series Finals. PTI ATK AM ATK AM AM