India Open 2025: Satwik-Chirag Advance to Semis; Sindhu and Kiran Knocked Out
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Synopsis
In the latest results from the India Open BWF Super 750 event, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured their place in the semifinals, while P.V. Sindhu and Kiran George faced early exits. The men's doubles duo showcased exceptional skill, while Sindhu's performance offered hope for future tournaments.
Key Takeaways
- Satwik and Chirag excelled in the men's doubles.
- P.V. Sindhu showed resilience despite her loss.
- Early exits for Indian players in singles.
- Upcoming match for Satwik and Chirag against Indonesian seeds.
- Positive outlook for Sindhu moving forward.
New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) While India's prime contender in women’s singles, P.V. Sindhu, faced an early elimination, the men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ensured the Tricolour remained prominent by advancing to the semifinals of the India Open BWF Super 750 tournament held here on Friday.
On a day marked by the conclusion of India’s singles journey with Sindhu's defeat in women’s singles and Kiran George's loss in the men’s category, the Asian Games gold medalists Satwik and Chirag maintained their momentum towards a second consecutive final with a straight games victory over Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the BWF World Tour Super 750 event held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall.
Demonstrating their dominance, Satwik and Chirag excelled in their quarterfinal clash against South Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk, achieving a score of 21-10, 21-17 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing day for the other Indian competitors, as Sindhu fell to fourth seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, losing 21-9, 19-21, 21-17 in women’s singles, while Kiran was defeated by Weng Hong Yang from China with a score of 21-13, 21-19 in the men’s singles quarterfinals.
In other matches, top seed in women’s singles, An Se Young from South Korea, overcame Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min with a score of 21-11, 21-12, and Pornpawee Chochuwong from Thailand stunned third seed Han Yue from China, winning 21-17, 21-16. In men’s singles quarterfinals, Viktor Axelsen, the Paris Olympic champion, faced a tough match against former world champion Loh Kean Yew from Singapore, but secured a victory with scores of 21-19, 13-21, 21-8.
The crowd at the KD Jadhav Hall had plenty to cheer about as Satwik and Chirag delivered a near-flawless performance against the Koreans, who had previously upset the top seeds and world No. 1 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. The Asian Games champions surged to a 9-1 lead in the first game and maintained control, wrapping it up in just 18 minutes. Although the Koreans put up a stronger fight in the second game, the Indian duo faced minimal pressure.
In the semifinals, Satwik and Chirag will face third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin from Indonesia.
Despite her loss to Tunjung, Sindhu found numerous positives from her performance. The 29-year-old athlete, who has been dealing with injuries since the Paris Olympics, initially struggled with her movement but began competing fiercely once she regained her rhythm. After falling behind 3-9 in the second game, Sindhu started pushing Tunjung to the back of the court, effectively countering the Indonesian’s swift drop shots. She managed to level the score at 9-9 and maintained a close contest, ultimately forcing the match into a deciding game.
In the decisive game, Sindhu employed the same strategy, and it appeared she might achieve an upset as both players were tied at 17-17. However, some exceptional shots from Tunjung and a misjudgment from Sindhu determined the outcome of the match, which lasted over an hour. “I believe it was at 17-17 in the third game where I played some shots that were a bit too parallel and into her hands. If I had played further back, that might have made the difference,” Sindhu reflected on the match.
The 29-year-old, who is set to compete in the Indonesia Masters next, expressed overall satisfaction with her performance and eagerness to build on it. “There are numerous positives to take from this tournament. Reaching the quarterfinals is a respectable outcome. However, to improve, I need to learn from matches like these,” she stated.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles quarterfinals, Kiran George battled hard against Weng and even saved a match point in the second game, but a forehand drive error dashed his hopes of progressing further in the tournament.
Results:
Men’s singles:
Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hkg) bt 7-Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 21-15, 21-8; 3-Viktor Axelsen (Den) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sin) 21-19, 13-21, 21-8; Weng Hong Yang (Chn) bt Kiran George (Ind) 21-13, 21-19;
Women’s singles:
1-An Se Young (Kor) bt Yeo Jia Min (Sin) 21-11, 21-12; 6-Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) bt 2-Wang Zhi Yi (Chn) 21-16 retd.; 8-Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) bt 3-Han Yue (Chn) 21-17, 21-16; 4-Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Ina) bt PV Sindhu (Ind) 21-9, 19-21, 21-17
Men’s doubles:
5-Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) bt Kittinupong Kedren/Dechapol Puavaranukroh (Tha) 21-18, 21-18; Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (Kor) bt 2-Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (Chn) 12-21, 22-20, 23-21; 3-Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin (Mas) bt Fang-Chih Lee/Fang-Jen Lee (Tpe) 21-11, 21-17; 7-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt Yong Jin/Kang Min Hyuk (Kor) 21-10, 21-17
Women’s doubles:
3-Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Mas) bt Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) 21-18, 21-19; Kim Hye Jeong/Kong Hee Yong (Kor) bt Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (Kor) 21-23, 21-19, 21-19; 4-Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min (Chn) bt 6-Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam (Hkg) 21-12, 21-17; Arisa Igarashi/Ayako Sukuramoto (Jpn) bt 1-Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (Chn) 21-15, 21-19
Mixed doubles:
3-Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (Mas) bt Ruttanapak Oupthong/Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat (Tha) 21-16, 21-17; 4-Goh Soon Huat/Lai Shevon Jemie (Mas) bt Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling Fang (Tpe) 21-11, 21-15; 2-Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (Chn) bt 7-Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (Chn) 21-14, 18-21, 21-11; Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (Fra) bt Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito (Jpn) 21-16, 21-18.
