Satwik-Chirag beat world no. 1, enters semis

Singapore

India’s men’s doubles badminton stars, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, moved into the Singapore Open semifinals with a strong win. They beat Malaysia’s top-ranked pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin, in straight games, 21-17, 21-15. The match lasted just 39 minutes and marked sweet revenge, as the same Malaysian pair had beaten them earlier this season at the India Open.

This is the third semifinal for Satwik and Chirag this year. They had lost in the last two semifinals, but now they are aiming for their first final in 2025. They will next face either the eighth-seeded Malaysian team of Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee or the third-seeded Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

The Indian duo is now the country’s only hope in the tournament, as all other Indian players have been knocked out. PV Sindhu lost to China’s Chen Yu Fei in the second round. HS Prannoy fell to France’s Christo Popov in straight games. Lakshya Sen had to retire from his match due to back pain after winning the first game.

Other players, like Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, and Anupama Upadhyaya, also could not get past their opening matches. Women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost in the quarterfinals, while mixed doubles pair Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde exited in the round of 16.

Satwik and Chirag’s solid form brings hope for India, and fans are excited to see if they can win their first title of the year.