Satwik-Chirag vs Ren-Xie at China Masters quarters: ‘Chinese always come with good josh, but we love playing against them; we have that rivalry…I think”

written by Atharva Jori

Indians will take on the reshuffled pairing of Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan, the latter having become popular after the Chinese trend of 'Watermelon Challenge' which he aced with his left hand It’s been a surfeit of left-right combinations for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to face, since last Tuesday at Hong Kong. It can be disorienting playing those two side angles. But just like that, while getting on with their everyday assignments, the Indian duo have grown to be comfortable against that deceptive pattern, that used to once bother them mightily. After beating their fifth ‘leftie-rightie’ combo in six matches when they ousted one half of reigning Olympic champion Wang Chi Lin in a new partnership with Chiu Hsiang Chieh 21-13, 21-12, Satwik-Chirag are preparing to take on their sixth L-R (left-right) opponents. This is Chinese Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan. The Indians beat Ren and his partner in an earlier iteration, and have slightly more painful memories of Xie Haonan, the 5’11 footer. Playing at the All England in Round 2 against Haonan and his then partner this year, the Indians had to cede the match after Chirag aggravated his back and was out for a few months in pain, agony and stoic rehab. Satwik, who had returned to the game after a painful bereavement, went through with the incomplete match, but a whole tide has turned since with their Worlds medal. In their only other meeting with Haonan, the Indians had won. Now the Chinese have glued the two together, and they remain the only Chinese pairing in men’s doubles at the home event.