Hangzhou: India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dished out a solid performance to outwit the Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in their second Group B match to inch closer to the knockout stage of the BWF World Tour Finals here Thursday.
The former world No. 1 Indian pair shored up their defence and dominated the proceedings to register a 21-11, 16-21, 21-11 win over world No. 8 Alfian and Fikri in the men’s doubles match that lasted an hour.
With two wins from two matches, Satwik and Chirag now lead the group and have built a considerable advantage in points difference.
Third seeds Satwik and Chirag will face second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in their last group match on Friday. Facing a pair known for their exceptional front-court skills, the onus was on Chirag, but he was ably supported by Satwik, who was simply flawless in the evening.
The Indians changed their aggressive approach to a more blended mix of shots and pace to counter the Indonesians. Two deep pushes from Chirag and a series of shots buried at the net from the nervy Indonesians saw India make a 6-0 start in the opening game. The focus was on getting the service-and-receive situation right and keeping it tight, and the Indians aced it to enter the mid-game break with a commanding
11-2 advantage.