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The China Masters 2023 Super 750 tournament in Shenzhen, China, saw a thrilling conclusion. The men’s doubles final saw Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty narrowly miss out on their sixth title of the year.
Satwik and Chirag went down to the world no. 1 pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang from China in a match that left fans at the edge of their seats for the entirety of the 71-minute-long battle.
For Satwik and Chirag, this defeat marked their first loss in a final since the 2019 French Open, a staggering nine finals ago.
A closer look at the results of the men's doubles final of the China Masters 2023
The match began with Satwik and Chirag making a series of unforced errors, giving the Chinese an 8-3 lead. However, an impressive display of attacking shots allowed the Indian duo to level the score at 9-9.
The second half of the first set saw both pairs locked in a neck-and-neck battle, with the Chinese holding the lead on most occasions. The pivotal moment came when tied at 19-19, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang secured two consecutive points to claim the first game 21-19.
The second set witnessed the Chinese shuttlers take an early 4-1 lead. However, the top-seeded Indian pair steadily narrowed the deficit, eventually taking the lead at 15-11. Despite the Chinese pair’s attempt to make a comeback, Satwik and Chirag managed to hold on, clinching the second set 21-18 and leveling the overall score.
As the decisive third and final set unfolded, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang surged ahead, establishing a commanding 5-0 lead. A series of unforced errors from the Indian duo allowed the Chinese pair to extend their advantage to 8-1 and later to 11-6 and 15-8.
Despite going down 20-13, Satwik and Chirag fought back, narrowing the score to 19-20 and saving six match points. With the score at 19-20, the four players engaged in a long rally with a lot of attacking shots from both pairs.
But in the end, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang just managed to hold on and seal the victory with a final score of 21-19, 18-21, 21-19, clinching the men's doubles title at the China Masters 2023.
