Only Plan A, no Plan B: How Satwik-Chirag ended their China Masters jinx

Satwik and Chirag said they always back their natural game after their China Masters title win. The Indian duo ended their jinx at the tournament and built momentum heading into the Asian Games.Satwik and Chirag ended their China Masters jinx with the title win (Badminton Photo)Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have revealed that they do not rely on a backup plan when they step onto the badminton court. Instead, the Indian stars prefer to trust their natural game while tweaking their approach to deal with the specific challenges posed by different opponents, a strategy that paid off with their historic China Masters triumph.The world No. 5 men's doubles pair, who had previously finished runners-up at the 2023 and 2025 editions of the tournament, said their success came from finding the right balance between playing to their strengths and making tactical adjustments when required."It's always Plan A, there is no Plan B for us. It always depends on the opponents. The Chinese want to play a fast game. If you are playing with Malaysians and Indonesians, they are not attacking," Satwik said during a virtual interaction on Monday, as quoted by PTI.Satwik and Chirag also pointed to their improved fitness as a major factor behind their latest success. The duo had endured a disappointing campaign at the BWF World Championships but bounced back strongly to produce one of their finest performances of the season in China. The Indian pair recovered from a slow start in Sunday's final against China's He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu, winning 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 to lift their maiden China Masters crown. The victory also marked their second BWF World Tour title of the season."We were much better physically after the World Championships. That was the difference mainly," Satwik said. Chirag added that the demanding run to the final had played an important role in their preparation. Having come through several physically taxing matches during the tournament, the Indian duo felt better equipped both physically and mentally for the title-deciding contest."When we played five matches in the China Open, we played three games barring the first round. That was good," Chirag said.The landmark win was their 10th BWF World Tour title and comes as a timely confidence booster for Satwik and Chirag ahead of their Asian Games title defence later this month.- EndsPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 21:49 IST