Satwik-Chirag lose semifinal, end Badminton World Championships campaign with bronze medal

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited the 2025 BWF Badminton World Championships with a bronze medal after their men’s doubles semifinal loss to China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi on Saturday in Paris.

This was the duo’s second medal at the Worlds after it had won a bronze medal at the 2022 edition in Japan.

Satwik-Chirag fell to Yang-Yi 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 in a marathon last-four tie which lasted for an hour and seven minutes on Court 1 of the Adidas Arena.

This was only the second meeting between the two pairs after they faced each other in the 2024 Thailand Open final where the Indians had come out on top with a straight-games win.

AS IT HAPPENED | Satwik-Chirag vs Yang-Yi highlights

In the first game of the semifinal, the Indians blazed to a 11-5 lead at the mid-game interval within five minutes from the start. However, the Chinese composed themselves after the break and took the game to 14-14. After that, Yang-Yi had three game points at 20-17.

The Indians did well to save two of them but the Chinese converted on the third, taking the lead in the match.

The second game seemed to follow a similar script, with the Indians keeping their noses ahead in the beginning. But, the Chinese were at the heels of the 2022 Asian Games gold medallists. Still, Satwik-Chirag led 11-9 at the break.

Satwik and Chirag seemed to be a bundle of nerves while the Chinese shuttlers grew in confidence with every point.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

After the mid-game interval, the Indians continued to lead, although the Chinese were using the flick serve with great effect to irk their opponents and even send Shetty tumbling down on the court while attempting to return. From trailing 11-16, Yang and Yi notched up five consecutive points to level the score. But, the Indians held on and took the semifinal to the decider.

The third game, however, saw the Indians off to a horrid start. They lost a staggering nine consecutive points before opening their account. Satwik and Chirag seemed to be a bundle of nerves while the Chinese shuttlers grew in confidence with every point.

At the interval, the Chinese led 11-3 and soon wrapped up the match to set up a summit clash with South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae on Sunday.

Published on Aug 31, 2025