China Masters 2023 Results Day 1: Satwik/Chirag, Prannoy advance, Aakarshi Kashyap crashes out

The first day of the China Masters 2023 Super 750 tournament at the Shenzhen Bay Gymnasium saw top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty easily get past Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the men’s doubles event. In singles, HS Prannoy outclassed Chou Tien Chen in a close-fought battle. Aaakarshi Kashyap went down to her Chinese compatriot in a match that lasted 33 minutes.

The Indian men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, The recently crowned champions of the Asian Games, demonstrated their incredible abilities in Shenzen. They dominated the court right from the beginning. After a 7-5 lead, they took six straight points and made it 13-5. They went on to seal the first set, 21–13.

The second game saw them continue their momentum and take yet another lead, leading 11-6 at the mid-game interval. They stretched their lead even further, leading 16-10, after which they took five straight points to wrap up the match, defeating England's Ben Lane and Sean Vendy with a commanding scoreline of 21-13, 21-10.

The women's singles category, on the other hand, witnessed a tough battle for India's Aakarshi Kashyap. Facing China's Zhang Yi Man, Kashyap fought hard but ultimately succumbed in straight games, with a final score of 12-21, 14-21.

One of the standout moments of the day came in the form of HS Prannoy's triumph over Chou Tien Chen in a gripping men's singles match. Prannoy avenged his recent defeat to the Chinese Taipei shuttler at the Japan Masters. The marathon encounter, lasting 50 minutes, ended with a scoreline of 22-20, 21-18 in favor of Prannoy.

The victory added to Prannoy's comeback after recovering from an injury, and it also highlighted his exceptional form in recent times. Prannoy will now take on Denmark’s M. Johannesen in the second round of the China Masters.

Indians in action on Day 2 of China Masters

While the first day of action at the China Masters was filled with some exciting matches, the second day promises much more. India will have three shuttlers in action in the men's singles category.

Priyanshu Rajawat, Kidambi Srikanth, and Lakshya Sen will be seen taking the court. India’s Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, will also be seen in action in the women's doubles category as they prepare to battle it out against China’s Zhang S X and Zheng Yu.