Latest news with #SingaporeOpenSuper750
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
It's a good sign, best is yet to come: Satwik-Chirag on semifinal finish at Singapore Open
Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were pleased with the way they challenged their higher-ranked opponents despite not being at their physical best, marking a promising comeback at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Saturday (May 31, 2025). The Asian Games champions signed off with a semifinal finish losing to Malaysia's world No. 3 duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-19, 10-21, 18-21. "To come this far with the number of days we've trained and the weeks, months we've had both professionally and personally, to get back here and play a semifinal, we never really expected," Chirag said after the loss. "So, I think plenty of positives. You always want to go deeper and win the title, but when I look back at what we faced over the past couple of months, to come back and play a semifinal is a really good start. We'll go to Indonesia now." Satwik and Chirag had struggled to compete consistently after the Olympics due to multiple setbacks. After a semifinal finish at the China Open last year, they reached the last four at the Malaysia and India Opens before being hit again by health and personal challenges. Satwik suffered a major personal loss earlier this year when his father died due to cardiac arrest in February. He was also sidelined due to illness, missing the Sudirman Cup. Upon their return, Chirag's back injury flared up during the All England Championships, cutting short their campaign in March. The time away from court impacted their ranking, as they slipped from world No. 1 to 27. "Obviously that was the plan (to regain ranking). We didn't like that number 27, I think. We heard about that. But it's because of the break we had, unfortunate things and little injuries here and there after Olympics. "We didn't play many tournaments, but if you look back, whatever we played, we reached semifinals — which is a good sign," said Satwik. "One of the positive things is we are not at our best yet. Still, we are able to beat some top players and trouble the top-level pairs. That gives us a lot of confidence and I feel the best is yet to come." Chirag, who aggravated his back injury during the All England Championships, had to undergo a tough rehab process. Satwik acknowledged the effort put in by his partner. "But yeah, really hats off to Chirag. He has been through a lot over the past few months. Last month wasn't easy — I saw him working day and night, morning, evening, afternoon. So really hats off," Satwik said. "I know he's in pain now also, but he's still not telling me. That's how we lift each other and we want to do well in the upcoming tournaments."
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Satwig-Chirag duo feels the best is yet to come after semifinal exit at Singapore Open
Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were pleased with the way they challenged their higher-ranked opponents despite not being at their physical best, marking a promising comeback at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Saturday. The Asian Games champions signed off with a semifinal finish, losing to Malaysia's world No. 3 duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-19, 10-21, 18-21. 'To come this far with the number of days we've trained and the weeks, months we've had both professionally and personally, to get back here and play a semifinal, we never really expected,' Chirag said after the loss. 'So, I think plenty of positives. You always want to go deeper and win the title, but when I look back at what we faced over the past couple of months, to come back and play a semifinal is a really good start. We'll go to Indonesia now.' Satwik and Chirag struggled to compete consistently after the Olympics due to multiple setbacks. After a semifinal finish at the China Open last year, they reached the last four at the Malaysia and India Opens before being hit again by health and personal challenges. Satwik suffered a major personal loss earlier this year when his father died due to cardiac arrest in February. He was also sidelined due to illness, missing the Sudirman Cup. Upon their return, Chirag's back injury flared up during the All England Championships, cutting short their campaign in March. The time away from court impacted their ranking, as they slipped from world No. 1 to 27. 'Obviously that was the plan (to regain ranking). We didn't like that number 27, I think. We heard about that. But it's because of the break we had, unfortunate things and little injuries here and there after the Olympics. 'We didn't play many tournaments, but if you look back, whatever we played, we reached semifinals — which is a good sign,' said Satwik. 'One of the positive things is we are not at our best yet. Still, we are able to beat some top players and trouble the top-level pairs. That gives us a lot of confidence, and I feel the best is yet to come.' Chirag, who aggravated his back injury during the All England Championships, had to undergo a tough rehab process. Satwik acknowledged the effort put in by his partner. 'But yeah, really hats off to Chirag. He has been through a lot over the past few months. Last month wasn't easy — I saw him working day and night, morning, evening, afternoon. So really hats off,' Satwik said. 'I know he's in pain now also, but he's still not telling me. That's how we lift each other, and we want to do well in the upcoming tournaments.'
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Satwik-Chirag On Singapore Semis Exit: 'After What We Faced, Never Expected...'
Indian men's doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, expressed satisfaction with their performance at the Singapore Open Super 750 despite not being in peak physical condition. The duo, who are Asian Games champions, made a strong comeback, advancing to the semifinals before losing to Malaysia's world No. 3 pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, with scores of 21-19, 10-21, 18-21. Chirag reflected on their journey, stating, 'To come this far with the number of days we've trained and the weeks, months we've had both professionally and personally, to get back here and play a semifinal, we never really expected."
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Singapore Open: Indian Duo Satwik-Chirag Bow Out In Semifinals To Malaysia
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the Singapore Open Super 750 men's doubles semifinals to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a tight three-game match. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's strong performance at the Singapore Open Super 750 concluded in the men's doubles semifinals, where the Indian pair fought hard but ultimately lost to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a tight three-game match on Saturday. The former world number one Indian duo failed to capitalize on their initial game win and, despite saving seven match points, were defeated 21-19, 10-21, 18-21 in a highly intense 64-minute encounter. Facing the same opponents who had ended their Paris Olympic journey, the Indian pair—currently ranked world number 27 after various health and fitness issues—showed their prowess by winning the first game. However, they struggled with the drift in the second game and couldn't recover after losing a significant lead in the decider. This marked their third semifinal appearance of the year, including the semifinals at the India Open and Malaysia Open earlier. Despite their loss, the last-standing Indian contenders of the week demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination. advetisement They entered the match with a 3-9 head-to-head record against the Malaysians but had won their last three meetings, including the Asian Games semifinal and the Indonesia Open final. However, their most recent encounter had ended in a defeat during the Olympic quarterfinals. The match began nervously for both pairs, with points mainly coming from minor errors, resulting in an early 6-6 tie. The Indians unleashed a series of smashes, with Aaron Chia making sharp interceptions, yet the exchanges between the two sides remained minimal. A powerful smash from Chirag leveled the score at 8-8 before errors from the Malaysians and a precise return from Satwik gave the Indians a three-point lead at the mid-game interval. Despite a few wide hits from both Satwik and Chirag, they served well and maintained a 15-12 lead. Aaron and Soh narrowed the gap to 14-15, but Aaron's netted return allowed the Indians to regain control. Chirag sent one long, but a strong smash from Satwik restored their 17-15 edge. A forehand error from Chirag allowed the Malaysians to tie the score at 18-all. Soh then hit one long and followed with a net smash, giving India two game points. The Malaysians saved one, but Aaron's net error handed the Indians the first game. The Malaysians responded with a strong start in the second game, quickly leading 5-0. Satwik and Chirag managed to win a 32-shot rally to get on the board, but struggled with tricky conditions, making several soft errors and misjudgments. Despite a rare service error from Soh, Aaron's sharp return pushed the Malaysians ahead 10-3. Chirag's net error gave the Malaysians a 13-7 lead at the interval. A backhand shot from Chirag hit Soh's face, but the Malaysians continued to dominate, advancing to 14-7. Miscommunication and unforced errors further plagued the Indian pair, with Satwik sending a serve long and Chirag driving one into the net. The drift worsened matters, with another shuttle landing well inside the baseline, giving the Malaysians 10 game points. They converted on the first opportunity, forcing a decider. In the final game, the Indians trailed 1-2 early on before winning a grueling 42-shot rally with powerful smashes. The pairs exchanged leads with tight serves and intense exchanges. Chirag showed variety with a forehand return and a defensive overhead push, but the Malaysians opened an 8-6 lead after an Indian error. Avoiding lifts to the Indian attackers, Soh targeted Chirag's body with a cross-court return to extend their lead to four points at the final mid-game interval. The Indians attempted a comeback with a few attacking rallies, but errors persisted as they trailed 9-14, facing a tough challenge. The Malaysians remained relentless, moving closer to victory at 18-12 after a couple of Indian errors. top videos View All Aaron and Soh earned nine match points, but nerves set in as the Indians saved seven. Ultimately, Soh secured the win on the eighth opportunity, sealing the match and ensuring a third consecutive final appearance for the Malaysian pair. About the Author Sports Desk Watch CNN-News18 here. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Chirag Shetty Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Location : Singapore First Published: May 31, 2025, 22:53 IST News sports Singapore Open: Indian Duo Satwik-Chirag Bow Out In Semifinals To Malaysia
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Kunlavut Vitidsarn rises to the top: A new world No 1 in badminton men's singles as Thai shuttler reaches summit
There will be a new World No 1 in badminton as Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn confirmed his rise to the summit of men's singles. After his semifinal win at the Singapore Open Super 750 on Saturday, the reigning world champion will also become the world No 1 when the BWF rankings are updated on Tuesday. Vitidsarn overcame Lin Chun Yi in a near one-hour clash 21-11, 25-23 to set up a rematch of the Asian Championships final against China's Lu Guang Zu. Irrespecitve of the result on Sunday, he has earned enough points to topple Shi Yu Qi, who was knocked out earlier in the week by Lu. Vitidsarn continues to be the flagbearer for that brilliant junior Class of 2018 that includes Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka and India's Lakshya Sen. The Thailand pioneer has won Olympic Games silver (losing to Viktor Axelsen last year in Paris), the World Championships gold & silver, the Asian Championships gold and now climbing to the top of the world ladder. The four men on the podium of the 2018 BWF World Junior Championships were: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (gold), Kodai Naraoka (silver), Lakshya Sen and Li Shi Feng (bronze). Lakshya and Li Shi Feng played the final of the Youth Olympic Games that year, with the Indian winning silver. And at the Asian Championships, Lakshya won gold while Vitidsarn won silver. Axelsen had good things to say about Vitidsarn after their battle in the World Championships final in 2022. 'Vitidsarn's a great guy, he's strong mentally and physically,' Axelsen said after his run to gold in Tokyo. 'I knew it would be a tough game. I'm happy with the way I responded to his gameplan in the second. He made it hard for me and I stiffened up a little bit, but I turned it around again. He's a cool guy, on and off the court. He's 21, and we've already played a few matches against each other, and also in other finals. I think there's many good things for him to come. Hopefully we can have many good matches in future.' Vitidsarn is no stranger to firsts. He won the Junior World Championships thrice, the first male shuttler to do so in singles. And at the Asian Championships earlier this year he became the first Thai men's singles champion in 63 years. And having achieved plenty in his career already, Vitidsarn set his sights on All England, where he is yet to taste success. 'I've won the Asian Youth Championship before, and to be able to win in the elite level is really very happy and very meaningful,' Vitidsarn had told BWF after his triumph in Ningbo. My next goal is to win the All England. I've won the World Championships and won a silver medal in the Olympics, but I've finished early at several All Englands so I hope to improve my performances at the All England Open next year.'
