India’s top doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, exited the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after a straight-game loss to Malaysian second seeds, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the semifinals on Saturday. The Asian Games champions once again fell short against the world No. 2 Malaysian duo, who continue to be a significant obstacle for them. Satwik and Chirag were defeated 13-21, 17-21 by the 2022 World champions and two-time Olympic bronze medallists, Aaron and Soh. This was their 14th encounter, with the Malaysians holding a dominant head-to-head record. Aaron and Soh had also eliminated the Indian pair in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. Despite this setback, Satwik and Chirag can take pride in another strong performance at the Super 1000 level. They secured their place in the semifinals with a hard-fought victory over another Malaysian duo, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, in the quarterfinals on Friday. It has been a season of consistent performances for the Indian pair, who also reached the semifinals of the India Open, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Open earlier this year. Although they have yet to convert these deep runs into titles in 2024, their steady presence in the latter stages of major tournaments keeps them among the top contenders on the circuit. They also reached the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open and had a second-round exit at the Japan Open last week.