The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down in the semifinal of the China Open 2025 on Saturday.
Satwik-Chirag were beaten in straight sets (13-21, 17-21) by the world number two Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a 42-minute encounter.
This was the fourth semifinal appearance of the year for the Indian pair.
Faulty execution
Speaking to the media after the game, Chirag said that while he and Satwik had their chances, the choice of stroke play cost them.
“Especially in the second game, we were not playing the right game. We were playing stroke which we shouldn’t have,” he said.
The Indians were outplayed in the first game and just when the second game appeared to be running away, the duo rallied back.
“When we started playing smart at 16-12, we came back to 16-all, but a few points here and there and we lost the game.”
When asked about the tactics employed, Chirag mentioned that while the realization did occur to them that a more ‘tactical game’ should have been employed, the execution was not on point.
While Chirag acknowledged that the tournament was a good outing, he was clearly unhappy in stating that he was “sad that we had to go out this way.”
Rhythm missing
The Indians have experienced multiple stop-starts this year after having changed their coach post the Paris Olympics.
This, according to Satwik, has made things doubly challenging for them.
“It was quite difficult after the Olympics to change everything suddenly. It was new from me, I was injured and also, I was working with another trainer,” he said.
To make matters worse, Satwik lost his father in February this year, a loss that impacted him deeply.
“Then lot of injuries here and there, so there’s no right rhythm at the right time. Once you’re playing good, again we’re getting some break,” said Satwik, attributing to the circumstances that have put the brakes on their ascendency this year.
That said, he continues to be optimistic.
“Overall, we’re on the right page, we’re doing all rights things and we just need to believe. It’s just a matter of time, I think once we play tournaments continuously, we’ll be there.”
Despite the ups and downs that the duo has experienced this year, the bond between them remains as firm as ever.
“When you’re winning, you’re together and so, when you’re losing, you need to back each other up. We’re still not there yet, but we’ll keep working together,” concluded Chirag.
