Satwik-Chirag rally past Chinese Pair Liang/Wang to open World Tour Finals campaign with statement win

Hangzhou [China] December 17 (ANI): India's top men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, began their BWF World Tour Finals 2025 campaign on a strong note with a gutsy comeback win over China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium on Wednesday, as per a release from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
The World No. 3 Indians showed resilience and control to prevail 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 in a high-intensity contest that lasted just over an hour. The victory gives Satwik and Chirag an early boost in a fiercely competitive Group B, which also features Malaysia's Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Indonesia's Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
Satwik and Chirag started brightly but lost momentum in the opening game as the Chinese duo took control to close it out 21-12. The Indians responded strongly in the second, absorbing pressure and staying composed in the closing stages to edge it 22-20 after trailing for the early parts. Carrying that momentum into the decider, Satwik and Chirag stamped their authority, pulling away after an early exchange to seal the match 21-14.
The Indian pair will next face Alfian and Fikri on Thursday as they look to seal a semifinal berth in the season-ending showpiece.
Satwik and Chirag are currently ranked third in men's doubles and have secured the BWF World Championship bronze medal, their second World Championship medal, and two runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Open and the China Masters this year. The star duo was consistent throughout, reaching the semifinals in the Malaysia Open, India Open, Singapore Open, China Open and Denmark Open in 2025. This is their second appearance in the BWF World Tour Finals after 2021.
Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a surprising exit from the Australian Open 2025 after losing to Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Fajar Alfian. (ANI)