Satwiksairaj-Chirag storm into Australia Open pre-quarterfinals

Sydney [Australia], November 18 (ANI): Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the men's doubles second round of the Australian Open 2025 badminton tournament in Sydney, defeating Chinese Taipei's Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei.
The top seeds at the BWF Super 500 tournament, the Indian badminton players registered a 25-23, 21-16 win in their round of 32 match against the unseeded Chinese Taipei pair of Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei in 48 minutes, as per Olympics.com.
The Indian pair made a slow start, trailing 6-2 in the opening game, but rallied to level the contest with four consecutive points. Chang Ko-chi and Po Li-wei regained an advantage at 9-7, but Chirag and Satwiksairaj kept responding, pulling level again at 9-9 and later at 16-16.
The game tightened at 19-19, where the top seeds showed their nerve, saving three game points before edging ahead to take the opener.
The second game followed a similar pattern. Chirag-Satwik built a 7-4 cushion only for the Chinese Taipei duo to fight back to 8-8 and then slip ahead 10-8. From there, the Indians shifted gears, reeling off six consecutive points to seize a four-point lead.
The game tightened at 19-19, but the top seeds showed their composure, saving three game points before edging ahead to claim the opener.
The second game followed a similar pattern: Chirag and Satwik built a 7-4 lead, only for the Chinese Taipei duo to fight back to 8-8 and briefly take the lead at 10-8. The Indians then raised their intensity, clinching six consecutive points to secure a four-point advantage."
Chirag-Satwik will now take on Chinese Taipei's Su Ching-heng and Wu Guan-Xun for a place in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, India's top women's doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, returning to the BWF World Tour for the first time since July, endured a tough comeback.
The fourth-seeded Indian pair, ranked 14th in the world, were outclassed by Indonesia's world No. 83 duo of Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, losing 21-10, 21-14 in a 40-minute match.
World championships medallists Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, along with rising talent Ayush Shetty, will open their campaign in men's singles on Wednesday. (ANI)