Patiala, 31 August (Sports Desk)
India’s streak of winning at least one medal at every BWF World Championships since 2011 remained intact as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed a bronze medal in the men’s doubles event at the 2025 tournament in Paris, concluding India’s campaign on Saturday.
The ninth-seeded Indian pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, fell 21-19, 18-21, 21-12 to China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi in a semi-final match that lasted 67 minutes. Their run to the semi-finals ensured a bronze medal, matching their achievement at the 2022 BWF World Championships in Tokyo.
The Indian duo started strongly, taking a 4-0 lead in the first game and holding an 11-5 advantage at the mid-game break. However, the Chinese pair mounted a comeback, taking a 14-13 lead and securing the first game on their third game point. In the second game, Satwik-Chirag surged to a 5-1 lead, which was narrowed to 11-9 at the interval. They extended their lead to 16-11 post-break, but Chen and Liu leveled the score before a dramatic 32-shot rally handed the Indians the game point to force a decider.
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In the third game, Chen Boyang and Liu Yi dominated early, racing to a 9-0 lead and overpowering Satwik-Chirag to advance to the final. This marked the Indian pair’s first loss in two encounters against the Chinese duo, having previously defeated them in the Thailand Open final last year.
The semi-final exit was Satwik-Chirag’s fifth of 2025, following similar outcomes at the Indian, Singapore, Malaysian, and China Opens. Despite the loss, their bronze medal reinforces India’s consistent presence on the BWF World Championships podium.
