India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, ended their World Championships campaign with a bronze medal after a gritty semifinal defeat to China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi on Saturday.
The former world No. 1 duo fell short of creating history as the first Indian men’s doubles pair to enter a World Championships final, going down 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 in an intense 67-minute battle.
The result marked their second bronze at this tournament, following their podium finish in 2022.
Their journey to the semifinals featured a standout win over Malaysian stalwarts and two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarterfinals, extending India’s uninterrupted medal run at the Worlds that began in 2011.
However, the Chinese pair’s dogged defence and sharp counterattacks proved decisive in the last-four clash.
Despite flashes of brilliance, the Indians struggled to maintain momentum, especially in the deciding game.
Chirag admitted after the loss that nerves and errors cost them at crucial stages.
“We didn’t find our rhythm early on and gave away easy points in the third game. We should have played smarter, but credit to them—they served deep and kept us out of position,” he said.
Satwik echoed similar sentiments, pointing to confidence as a key factor.
“They enjoyed themselves more today. We did well in patches, but in matches like these, it’s about mental strength and consistency,” he remarked.
The opening game saw Satwik-Chirag race to a 9-3 lead, but Chen and Liu clawed back with sharp retrievals and took it 21-19.
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The Indians bounced back in the second game, winning 21-18, but the decider turned one-sided as the Chinese stormed ahead 9-0 and sealed the match 21-12.
This bronze medal adds to a solid season for the world No. 3 pair, despite several setbacks.
Earlier in the year, they reached the semifinals at the Malaysia and India Open but were hampered by injuries—Chirag’s back issue and Satwik’s health concerns—as well as personal tragedy with Satwik losing his father in February.
The duo regrouped later to make quarterfinal appearances at the Indonesia, Singapore, and China Opens, and their latest Worlds performance underlines their resilience and consistency.
