Latest news with #Satwik-Chirag
Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Satwik-Chirag stumped by nemeses Chia-Soh again as they falter at China Open semifinal
In their rivalry that stretches back to TATA Open India International Challenge in 2017, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty briefly found a window where it appeared they had found the solutions against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. After going 0-8 in their first meetings, Satwik-Chirag won three in a row in a stretch between Indonesia Open 2023 and India Open 2024. But now, with their 13-21 17-21 defeat in 42 minutes on Saturday at Changzhou Sports Center Gymnasium in the semifinal of China Open Super 1000, Satwik-Chirag have lost thrice in a row against the world No 2 from Malaysia. It appears once more that the pair that tormented them for so long, are back to being their nemeses, especially considering the heartbreak that Chia and Soh gave at the Paris Olympics last year. While the China Open reversal comes at a juncture where the Indians are still trying to rebuild their game, the caveat being that they are not at their 100% yet after all the off-court niggles they have had to deal with, the manner of the defeat should be a matter of concern. At the Olympics last August and in the Singapore Open semifinal earlier this year, SatChi took the opening game and went on to lose in three – and the contest was dead even for the most part, the margins fine. But in Changzhou, Chia-Soh outplayed the Indians for large parts, except a brief period in Game 2 where Satwik-Chirag drew level from 12-16 to 16-16. 'We had our chances, especially in the second game,' Chirag would tell BWF later, but he too was aware they didn't do enough. 'But (overall we) were not playing the right game. We were playing strokes which we shouldn't have, hitting more on Aaron and I think that's what took the game away from us. When we started playing smarter at 12-16, we came back at 16-16. A good tournament for us, but sad that we had to go out this way.' Chirag added that they were too late to realise the mistakes they were doing and in a discipline as fast and furious as men's doubles, where rallies rarely develop out of the first 3-4 shots after service-return, such lethargy can prove mighty costly. 'We should have played a little more tactically. We had planned it, but we didn't execute it as well. I think it will take some time. We are still not at 100% as yet. We still need to get these matches; we can't be as sloppy.' The reunion with Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her – the man who responsible for convincing Satwik and Chirag during their early uncertain days – hasn't quite brought silverware yet. But the Malaysian men's doubles pairs have been boosted by the arrival of new national coach Herry IP, the legendary Indonesian nicknamed Fire Dragon. The impact, especially on Chia-Soh, has been immediate and immense, as he has overseen the former world champions winning three titles already this year, including the notoriously difficult Badminton Asia Championships. Chia-Soh are already a pedigreed duo but Herry has brought about a relentlessness to their game. Their flat attacking game was always their biggest strength but in the past they have shown a tendency to ditch their Plan A and resort to defensive lifts if they were under pressure – Herry seems to have drilled that out of them, and they rarely gave Satwik-Chirag the chances to go on their attacks. And when the Indians did find the height or time to launch their smashes, Soh and especially Chia were sensational on defence, extending rallies they had no business extending, and forcing the Indians into unforced errors, of which there were many especially in the opening game when Satwik and Chirag mishit quite a few shots under drifty conditions. It isn't a cause of alarm, not yet. But at some point, Satwik-Chirag would have to find more consistent solutions to the flat game that the Malaysian pairs – not just Chia-Soh – are becoming experts at. Last week in Japan, Satwik hinted that he has been working on a spin serve in training, bringing in that variation to their game would be a good start. There is no doubting the brilliance of their Plan A, but a few variations to disrupt their opponents could well be the next step. An Se Young began China Open with a dream of achieving something incredible: winning all Super 1000s of the year to complete a Calendar Slam. But on Saturday, bothered by a knee injury, she was forced to retire hurt while 19-21 6-11 down against Han Yue. The reigning Olympic and World Champion from Korea, who had won titles at Malaysia, All England and Indonesia Opens, has been near unstoppable this year. 'I'm very disappointed (at missing the Super Slam) but it can't be helped that I got this injury. Although I really wished to accomplish this record, my body failed me,' she told BWF. A consequence of An not competing for the China Open title on Sunday is that, incredibly, four out of the five finals are all-Chinese affairs. The only final to not feature China is men's doubles, where Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik – after their win against India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty – will take on scratch Indonesian pairing of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Satwik-Chirag, China Open Badminton Doubles Semi-Final 2025 Live Updates: SatChi take on nemeses Chia-Soh
Satwik-Chirag vs Chia-Soh, China Open Badminton Doubles Semi-Final 2025 Live Scorecard Online Today Match Updates: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to get past Malaysia's Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and book their place in the China Open final as the two pairs lock horns on Saturday in Changzhou. The India duo booked their place in the last 4 after they defeated Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, also of Malaysia, in the quarterfinals on Friday. Satwik and Chirag had also reached semis of Indian Open, Singapore Open and the Malaysia Open but various factors prevented them from clinching the titles this year. They also made the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Open while losing in the second round of the Japan Open last week. 'We have played with them (Ong / Teo) quite a few times. Played in January at Malaysia Open. Similar court situations. In first set we thought from this side is very fast so we need to play a little fast no matter what and get attack as much as possible. In second game we knew they can't play it's so fast it's going out. So we just need to focus on the front area and get ready with our racquets. We didn't want to give them any chance or confidence in the net. So we played aggressive mentally on serves too, even if it was 16-16, 17-16, we felt we are playing the right game and stick to that,' Satwik had said after their quarterfinal win. Read more about it here. This is the 14th meeting between Satwik-Chirag and Chia-Soh. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, back on the verge of entering the Top 10 after a torrid few months, were putting on a show, converting the neutrals, playing Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, winning 21-18, 21-14. (Badminton Photo/BWF) Satwik-Chirag continue to carry Indian badminton through its downturn, making China Open semis It was the last match of the day in Changzhou at the Super 1000 China Open, the only one in the arena, in fact. And there was no doubt the crowd stayed on, exhaled along the rollercoaster, and finally rose to applaud Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The Indians, back on the verge of entering the Top 10 after a torrid few months, were putting on a show, converting the neutrals, playing Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, winning 21-18, 21-14.
News18
14-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Satwik-Chirag Eye Japan Open Glory, PV Sindhu & Lakshya Sen Seek Revival
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lead India at Japan Open Super 750, aiming to end their title drought. Star Indian men's doubles shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to extend their consistent performance on tour and end their title drought as they lead the country's challenge at the Japan Open Super 750 beginning Tuesday. Ranked world No. 15, Satwik-Chirag have reached three semifinals this season and made the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open in June. After the semifinal finishes at the Malaysia and India Open in January, Satwik-Chirag missed multiple weeks because of the former's health problems and Chirag's lingering back injury. Now fit, the duo reached the semifinals at the Singapore Open and the quarterfinals in Indonesia. Satwik-Chirag will commence their campaign against Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju. In singles, Lakshya Sen and double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will aim to regain form at the USD 950,000 event. Lakshya has struggled this season with multiple first-round exits, his best performance being a quarterfinal finish at the All England. Hampered by a back injury that forced him to retire against Lin Chun-Yi at the Singapore Open, he showed glimpses of regaining touch during a narrow three-game defeat to world No. 3 Shi Yu Qi in Indonesia. Lakshya, now ranked 18th, starts against China's Wang Zheng Xing. Sindhu, ranked 16th, had her best performance this year with a quarterfinal at the India Open in January. The former world champion, who turned 30 this month, has faced four first-round and three second-round exits in 2025. If Sindhu wins her first-round match, she is expected to face third seed Akane Yamaguchi in the second round. Among others, Unnati Hooda, a Taipei Open semifinalist earlier in 2025, faces seventh seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the opening round, while Anupama Upadhyaya takes on fellow Indian Rakshitha Ramraj. In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi will face Korea's third seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. Women's doubles pairs Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi and the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, are also competing. Schedule for July 15 Kokona Ishikawa-Maiko Kawazoe vs Rutuparna & Swetaparna Panda: 1:10 pm IST (With PTI Inputs) view comments First Published: July 14, 2025, 10:05 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Satwik-Chirag harried and blunted by World No.7 pair Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended what has been a terrible week for Indian sport, completely in disarray at the Indonesia Open quarterfinals, as they lost 21-19, 21-16 to World No.7 Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee, of Malaysia. Two rallies, both of which the Indians ended up losing, reached breathless proportions and were extremely watchable because it lured Satwik-Chirag into cross patterns of attack and defense. But they were largely off the boil in the 43-minute match, and looked like they wanted to defer title-winning to mid-western Iowa where they play the US Open next. They just didn't look the part at Jakarta for this weekend. That, the duo who have had a torrid time dealing with grief, injuries and stop-start form, as well as adjusting to a change of coach, have fetched India's most consistent results in the last few weeks with semis at Singapore Super 750 and quarters at Indonesia Super 1000, is a reflection of the wretched state the rest of the top names, are in. Having slipped to World No.22 after injury lay-offs due to back and shoulder, the duo are still making the Last 8, fighting with six of their eight combined limbs. Against the pairing of 25-year-olds from Malaysia, shepherded by the iconic coaching doyen, Herry IP, Satwik-Chirag were rushed and harried and blunted, by the adventurous Man-Tee. Chirag reckoned his best chance was to hit down and straight because the Malaysians scattered themselves and the shuttle into scripted chaos, befuddling the Indians. The Malaysian attack wasn't bewildering with smashes raining down. They played flat and cross albeit at an altitude and ensured the shuttle got whimmy when dropping at the net or on the midcourt, because of the loopy trajectory they imparted. The shuttle scurried and poked at more jagged angles than a ribbon-wrapped cactus, and Satwik found himself smashing into the net because his control on the shuttle just deteriorated. The Indians covered a 3-point deficit of 14-17 to reach 19-all against opponents they had never before lost to. But Man Wei Chong was ridiculously incisive from the net. He logged in a second sensational backhand return, completely blind, with his back to the net on a pivot, and was generally a reminder of how his senior Aaron Chia tends to annoy the Indians. Satwik was singled out to be targeted in the fast, flat exchanges and they largely succeeded despite his defense not entirely wilting. Change of ends changed no fortunes. And the Malaysian lead simply ballooned from 3-7 to 13-17. The Indians resisted with a 10-6 counter to make it 16-18. But two stunning rallies displayed how speed can shear their attack off power as they hurtled to a straight sets loss. As takeaways go, the doors were simply shuttered on them and they were left with gulps of water from their bottles and not much else.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Satwik-Chirag Indonesia Open Badminton Quarterfinal 2025 Live Updates: SatChi in hunt for semifinal spot
Satwik-Chirag vs Wei Chong-Kai Wun, Indonesia Open Badminton Quarterfinal 2025 Live Scorecard Online Today Match: For the second straight week on the BWF World Tour, former world No 1 men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the last standing Indian contenders. On Thursday, they came from behind yet again to advance to the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Jakarta, the year's third badminton Major event. Satwik and Chirag, the 2023 champions, showed great temperament under pressure to register a hard-fought 16-21, 21-18, 22-20 win over world number 16 Danish pair of Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard in a 68-minute second-round clash. Satwik-Chirag, who had reached the semifinals of the Singapore Open Super 750 last week, face Malaysian seventh seeds Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee next. 'Today felt like one of those days where we just weren't at our best,' Satwik told BWF later. 'It wasn't about the strategy being wrong — it was more that we were giving away the points. If you look back, nearly 15 to 20 points came from our own mistakes. They didn't win those points — we handed them over.' Read more about their quarterfinal win here. Satwik-Chirag, who were only sporadically in action after their heartbreak at Paris Olympics last year, have hit some good form in the last week. After retiring hurt early at the All England Open, they hit the ground running in Singapore last week, beating the new World No 1 pair of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin on their way to the semifinal in Singapore where they eventually lost to their nemeses in Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. Satwik-Chirag are now ranked at 22 in the world, up five places since last week. Satwik-Chirag scrape through to last 8 In a tense 68-minute cliffhanger at the Indonesia Open Super 1000, India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured a hard-fought 16-21, 21-18, 22-20 victory, propelling them into the quarterfinals. Their win over Denmark's Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard, who had upset World No. 3 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, wasn't without a streak of struggles. The match saw ashare of jarring notes and iffy play from both sides. A particularly wincing moment for spectators was when the Indian duo clanged their racquets twice, a result of confused communication while going for the same shuttle. However, the final three minutes of the game proved to be nothing short of magical, turning the tide in their favor.
