Singapore Badminton Open: India’s challenge ends with Satwik, Chirag’s heartbreaking defeat in semi-finals

SINGAPORE CITY: India’s star badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty put up a valiant performance but floundered against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semi-final of the Singapore Badminton Open 2025 on Saturday.

The 27th-ranked Indian pair took an early lead but failed to build on it against the world number three pair by 21-19, 10-21, 18-21 in a nail-biting contest. Chirag and Satwik’s defeat marked the end of India’s challenge in the tournament.

Chia and Soh continued to thrive on their recent form, considering they reached back-to-back finals in the last two weeks against the Indian duo, who defied the world number one, Malaysian duo Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin, in straight games.

The opening phase of the first game was a closely contested affair, with both pairs testing each other’s limits. India’s offence challenged Malaysia’s defence, with Satwik and Chirag unleashing an all-out attack while Chia and Soh held firm and retaliated firmly.

Both pairs went toe-to-toe and remained inseparable, with the scoreline reading 8-8. However, the Indian pair broke Malaysia’s resilience and raced away with a slender two-point advantage to make it 10-8 in their favour.

The momentum swung like a pendulum, but Satwik and Chirag maintained the two-point lead in their favour. Around the 17-15 mark, Chia and Soh nullified the Indian pair’s smashing power and exuded their own to restore parity to 18-18.

Despite floundering the upper hand, Satwik and Chirag re-established the two-point advantage to take away the first game by 21-19.

In the second game, the game picked up its pace. There were wonderful exchanges, moments of brilliance, and breathless action as Chia and Soh raced away with a 0-5 lead.

Despite a couple of soft errors from the Malaysians, they remained in front and led by 5-11 after the halfway stage in the second game. Satwik and Chirag, who were completely on defence, met the inevitable fate and lost the second game comprehensively by 10-21.

In the third game and decider, Satwik and Chirag bounced back with aggression, keeping the game level at 4-4. However, the Malaysian pair regained control and established a 14-9 lead.

The Malaysian pair kept the five-point lead intact. They looked all set to confirm their spot in the final, but a spirited comeback from the Indian pair saved seven consecutive match points and brought the equation down to 20-18. However, their attempts to steal away the win were taken away by Chia and Soh, who took the third set by 18-21. (ANI)