China Masters: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen reach quarters

India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have entered the quarter-finals of the China Masters badminton tournament after registering a 21-19, 21-15 win over Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard on Thursday. Rankireddy and Shetty were the first Indians to win a match on the day and advance in the tournament after the women's doubles pair of PV Sindhu, Anupama Upadhyaya, Malvika Bansod and Trisa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their respective second-round matches on this BWF World Tour . Super 750 event.

Facing the world No. 15 pair, the Indian pair, playing their first tournament since the Paris Olympics, showed their dominance on the court despite trailing 5-2 in the first game and took a narrow 11-9 lead at the break .

The Danish pair gave a tough fight but the Indians ensured that they did not fall behind in the match as the Danish pair displayed excellent skills on the court. In the end Rankireddy and Shetty managed to win the game 21-19.

In the next game, Rankireddy-Shetty learned from their previous mistakes and started well with three consecutive points to take a 6–3 lead. Although the Danish opponents tried to make their presence felt in the game, the Indian pair did not give them enough space to take the lead and won 21-15. The world number nine Indian pair won the match in 44 minutes and will face Denmark's Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the quarterfinal match on Friday.

In the men's singles match, Lakshya Sen defeated Rasmus Gemke of Denmark 21-16, 21-18 to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

With the win, Sen took his score against Gemke to 4-1 and is the only Indian player left in the singles category. The 23-year-old got off to a great start as he took an early lead over his opponent and further consolidated it to win the first game 21-16.

In the second game, Gemke tried his best to match Sen's energy, but failed to overpower him in the fight. The Indian shuttler won the game 21-18 and secured a place in the quarters.