Indian Men's Doubles Team Falls Short in BWF World Tour Finals 2025

Semi-Final Exit for India's Top Doubles Pair

The journey of India's leading men's doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, at the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 concluded in the semi-finals. They faced a tough defeat against China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, with scores of 21-10, 17-21, 15-21. The Indian duo began the match on a strong note, winning the first game decisively, but the Chinese players made a remarkable comeback to secure the bronze medal.

Dramatic Turnaround in Semi-Final

Rankireddy and Shetty, currently ranked third in the world, started the match sluggishly, allowing the world No. 5 pair, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, to take an early 4-1 lead in the first game. However, the Indian pair quickly regained their momentum, dominating the remainder of the opening game.

In the second game, the Chinese duo fought back fiercely, with the score tied at 15-all. They managed to secure crucial points, forcing a decisive third game. Unlike the first game, the second was heavily in favor of the Chinese, with Wang Chang controlling the net and Liang Wei Keng delivering powerful flick serves that left the Indian players struggling.

A Challenging Rivalry

This match marked the eighth loss for Satwiksairaj and Chirag in their last twelve encounters against the Chinese pair, with five of those matches occurring in 2025.

Historic Achievement for Indian Duo

Despite the loss, Satwiksairaj and Chirag made history by topping Group B, remaining unbeaten in three matches, and becoming the first Indian doubles team to reach the knockout stages of this prestigious tournament. This achievement also marks only the second time Indian shuttlers have won a medal at the BWF World Tour Finals, with PV Sindhu being the only other Indian to secure gold in the women's singles category back in 2018.