India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history by winning the China Masters 2026 badminton men’s doubles title after rallying from behind in Shenzhen on Sunday.
The Indian pair, fifth in the badminton rankings, beat the People’s Republic of China’s former world No. 4 combination of He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in an hour and 10 minutes in the final of the BWF Super 750 event.
The triumph made Satwik and Chirag the first Indian badminton players to win the China Masters since the tournament started in 2005.
The reigning Asian Games men’s doubles badminton champions had finished runners-up in Shenzhen in 2023 and 2025 and made a semi-final appearance in 2024.
The China Masters badminton triumph was also Satwik and Chirag’s 10th career title on the BWF World Tour and their second of the 2026 season.
He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu, who won bronze at the Badminton Asia Championships earlier this year, raced to a 5-0 lead in the first game and maintained their advantage to take the opener.
Satwik and Chirag conceded early points in the second game but drew level at 6-6. A three-point burst then helped the Indian shuttlers build momentum as they went into the mid-game interval 11-7 ahead.
The fourth-seeded Indian pair then stretched their advantage and, despite a brief fightback from He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu, won the final four points in the second game to force a decider.
The Indians then had to play catch-up once again in the deciding game after conceding the opening four points.
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