Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showed nerves of steel to eke out a thrilling three-game victory over Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in their opening men’s doubles Group B match at the BWF World Tour Finals here on Wednesday.

World No. 3 Satwik and Chirag, the only Indian representatives at the season-ending showpiece, recovered from an opening-game setback and saved a match point to eventually outwit the World No. 5 Chinese pair 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 in a gripping contest.

The Asian Games champions, who reached the finals at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters earlier this year, will face another stern test when they take on Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri on Thursday.

Former World No. 1 pair Satwik and Chirag came into the match trailing Liang and Wang 3-7 in head-to-head encounters, and Wednesday’s clash lived up to its billing as a high-quality duel between two attacking pairs.

As expected, the contest began on a tight note with both pairs focused on winning the early exchanges. Satwik and Chirag attempted to use angles and impose a sharp, fast-paced game, but the Chinese were equally prepared, with early errors from both sides keeping the opening game level at 7-7.

Short rallies marked the first game, built around attacking drives and quick smashes with lifts used sparingly. China then strung together four straight points to take control at the interval. Wang’s sharp interceptions at the net began to trouble the Indians, who also committed a few errors as the Chinese stretched the lead to 14-9.

The ability to bring the shuttle down at awkward angles paid dividends for the Chinese as they surged to 19-11 with Liang finishing one rally with a fierce smash. The local favourites grabbed eight game points and wrapped up the opener in 13 minutes as Wang sealed it with a cross-court smash.

In the decider, the Indian duo launched an all-out attack to move to 17-12 before surging to 19-13. They earned seven match points when Liang hit the net. The Chinese saved one with a superb return, but it only delayed the inevitable as they went wide in the next rally, sealing a memorable win for the Indians.

Also read: Tough test for Satwik-Chirag at BWF World Tour Finals