Star Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a stirring comeback to beat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in a three-game thriller and clinch the China Masters Super 750 title on Sunday. Playing their third final here, Satwik and Chirag, who finished runners-up in the 2023 and 2025 editions, fought their way to an 11-21 21-13 21-17 victory over former world No. 4 He and Ren in a one-hour and 10-minute battle. It is the second title of the season for the Indians, who had won the Singapore Open Super 750 and also reached the final of the Thailand Open Super 500. The title is a big boost for the world No. 5 pair as they gear up to defend their gold medal at the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan from September 19.

The Indians were up against a Chinese pair whose ranking had slipped to world No. 70 following a prolonged absence from the circuit.

It is just the third event for He Ji Ting, who returned to competitive badminton after serving a team-imposed disciplinary suspension by the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA).

Satwik and Chirag, however, had defeated the Chinese pair twice in their only two previous meetings.

The Indian pair had played three three-game matches en route to the final, dropping the second game after winning the opening game in each of those encounters.

Playing their third final in their 10th tournament of the year, Satwik and Chirag opted to choose ends after winning the toss instead of receiving.

The Indians couldn’t take early control of the rallies as He Ji Ting and Ren zoomed to a 5-0 lead with fast, attacking strokes in short and snappy exchanges. They kept their serves tight and flat while maintaining an angled attack. A jump smash from He Ji Ting helped the Chinese pair maintain their five-point lead at 8-3.

The Indians tried to break through their rivals’ defence, but the fast and aggressive Chinese pair took a six-point advantage into the interval. The Indians couldn’t quite match the pace of their rivals as the deficit widened to 7-14. He Ji Ting looked in ominous touch, raining down thunderous smashes to shatter the Indians’ defence.

A service fault from Chirag only added to the agony as the Chinese pair stretched their lead to 17-9. Another wide shot from Chirag allowed the Chinese pair to wrap up the opening game.

The Indians produced a far better show in the second game, tightening their defence and extending the rallies. Satwik also opted for a flick serve to keep the Chinese pair guessing and prevented them from engaging in the front court too often.

Satwik and Chirag wrested the lead at 7-6 after a closely fought passage of play. A body smash from Chirag, their fifth straight point, took the Indians to 9-6, but a service error from Satwik ended their run.

A quick interception by Chirag, followed by a smash, helped the Indians take a four-point lead into the interval. Seven of the last eight points had gone India’s way.

While most rallies lasted fewer than 15 shots early in the opening game, Satwik and Chirag extended the exchanges in the second, forcing the Chinese pair to work harder for every point.

A 45-shot rally, won by the Indians, helped them stretch their lead to 12-8. They soon moved ahead 17-11. The Indians then earned seven game-point opportunities when the Chinese pair found the net. Satwik sealed the game with an attacking return.

In the decider, the Chinese pair found their bearings and raced to a 4-0 lead before moving to 7-3. A smash from Chirag and a mishit from He Ji Ting helped the Indians close the gap to 5-7. A fourth straight point brought Satwik and Chirag level at 7-7. After a few flat exchanges, the Chinese pair managed to take a two-point advantage into the interval.

Back on their preferred side of the court, Satwik and Chirag kept themselves within striking distance at 11-13. It was a fight for initiative as the two pairs unleashed a series of flat, cris-cross exchanges. The Chinese were better at keeping the shuttle below the tape during the rallies and were rewarded for it, but the Indians continued to snap at their heels at 13-15 after a service error from the Chinese duo.

A short service from Satwik made it 14-16, before the Indians drew level at 16-16.

The Indians soon moved ahead 18-17 when He Ji Ting found the net. A fortunate net cord handed the Indians three match-point opportunities, and Chirag sealed the title with a smash.

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New York Liberty fans are questioning why Marine Johannès has a relatively limited role in the WNBA while she continues to deliver explosive performances for France at the FIBA World Cup.

On Friday, she teamed up with Gabby Williams to beat Hungary 99-53. The New York guard scored 17 points, made 4 of her 9 three-pointers, and added 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

She followed that up with another team-high 17-point performance against South Korea, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range. Marine Johannès took control of the game early, scoring 14 of those points in the first half alone to pull France out of an early deficit and secure a comfortable 95-69 win.

The disparity between her role in the French national team and her workload in New York has fans completely hooked right now. She’s only averaging 8.5 points and 2.4 assists per game in the WNBA this season. She basically doubled her usual production while playing with the national squad.

While Johannès’ numbers are solid as a secondary playmaker with restrictions in New York, fans are mad on X because that limited role doesn’t show off what she can really do on the international stage.

“It’s criminal how the Liberty are wasting a shooter like Marine Johannès. Learn how to use her! Give her the d**n ball and let her cook!!!” one user wrote.

“They said that every team should have a Marine Johannès and I look at New York Liberty… they really have the luxury of Marine and yet,” another user added.

“Seeing Marine play for France, I do wonder if her being a main scorer for a team like Golden State would unlock Marine’s true game and propel the Valks offense,” a third user penned.

“Marine Johannès is wasting away with the New York Liberty and I cannot wait until she goes to a team who will know how to use her,” the fourth user commented.

“I’m just imagining Marine in a Liberty uniform but I remember who our coach is,” the fifth user noted.

That last comment takes a jab at the Liberty’s coaching staff and captures the overall sentiment in the WNBA community after Marine Johannès’ back-to-back strong performances.

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Gabby Williams and Marine Johannès are France’s new power couple

Marine Johannès’ World Cup run alongside Williams has drawn significant attention. A broadcaster recently referred to the pair as a “power couple” for France, saying,

“The power couple for Les Bleues. They hit seven threes. 15 total for France.”

Williams is also having her best scoring season in the WNBA, averaging 14.3 points per game for the Golden State Valkyries. This strong stretch abroad reinforces what she can do when she controls the offense.

Neither player has addressed the debate around Marine Johannès’ usage in New York since the win over Hungary. However, the numbers out of Berlin continue to fuel the conversation as Team France next faces Nigeria.

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