Satwik-Chirag out of China Open (BWF/Badminton Photo)

India's top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated from the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after losing to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in straight games 13-21, 17-21 in the semifinals on Saturday in Changzhou. The defeat marks another setback for the Asian Games champions against the world No. 2 Malaysian duo, who have consistently proven challenging opponents for the Indian pair.

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The match was the 14th encounter between the two pairs, with the Malaysians maintaining their dominant head-to-head record against the Indians. Aaron and Soh, who are 2022 World champions and two-time Olympic bronze medallists, had previously defeated Satwik and Chirag in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. The Indian pair had reached the semifinals after securing a hard-fought victory over another Malaysian duo, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, in the quarterfinals on Friday. Satwik and Chirag have demonstrated consistent performance throughout the season, reaching the semifinals in multiple major tournaments including the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open earlier this year. Quiz: Who's that IPL player? The pair also made it to the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open but faced an early exit in the second round of the Japan Open last week, which affected their rhythm and momentum. Despite not converting their deep tournament runs into titles in 2024, their regular appearances in the latter stages of major tournaments maintain their status as top contenders in the circuit.

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