Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty battled past China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu in a gripping three-game final on Sunday to win the China Masters 2026 and secure their 10th BWF World Tour title.
The Indian pair overcame a difficult start before prevailing 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a 70-minute contest. The victory also extended Rankireddy and Shetty’s perfect head-to-head record against the Chinese duo to 3-0.
He and Ren dominated the early exchanges, racing to a 5-0 advantage with sharp net play and powerful smashes. The Indians struggled to disrupt their rhythm as the Chinese pair consistently found the lines and went into the opening-game interval leading 11-5.
Rankireddy and Shetty could not get within four points after the break, and two loose shots drifting long eventually allowed He and Ren to close out the first game 21-11 in 18 minutes.
The Chinese pair again made the better start in the second game, moving 2-0 ahead before the Indians levelled at 3-3. After another exchange of leads, Rankireddy and Shetty drew level at 6-6 and gradually took command.
They entered the interval 11-7 ahead before stretching their advantage to 17-11, with Shetty’s powerful smashes helping shift the momentum firmly in India’s favour. He and Ren attempted a late response, but the Indians completed a 21-13 win to force a deciding game.
The decider brought another early setback as He and Ren surged 4-0 ahead. Rankireddy and Shetty, however, refused to let the match slip away. They recovered from 3-7 to level at 7-7 before edging ahead 9-8 and taking an 11-9 advantage into the interval.
The Indians extended their lead to 15-12, only for He and Ren to mount another comeback. The Chinese pair drew level at 16-16 and again at 17-17, leaving the title hanging in the balance.
Rankireddy and Shetty produced their best badminton at the decisive moment. With the score locked at 17-all, they reeled off four consecutive points and converted their first match point to seal the deciding game 21-17.
The hard-fought victory capped a remarkable turnaround after their one-sided opening-game defeat and delivered Rankireddy and Shetty their 10th career BWF World Tour crown, with the Indian duo holding firm under pressure to finish a 70-minute final in championship fashion.
