Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty booked their place in the quarter finals of the Hong Kong Open on September 11 with a 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 in Hong Kong on September 11. Satwik and Chirag continued their momentum from the World Championships, where they secured their second career bronze in Paris. The world No. 9 duo had to work hard after dropping the first game to Thailand’s Chaloempon Sukphun and Nanthakarn Teeraratsakul.
The Indians regrouped in the second, seizing control after the mid-game interval before running away with the decider. A blistering 7-2 start in the third game sealed their dominance as the Thai pair struggled to keep pace. It was the attacking prowess of Satwik which was the talking point of the match as he repeatedly breached the Thai players defences with some stinging cross court and down the line smashes.
The Indian pair who have won 15 of their last 16 matches, will now take on Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in the quarterfinal as they aim to extend their impressive run.
