A comprehensive display of badminton in the Hong Kong Open 2025 men’s doubles quarterfinal saw the Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeat Malaysia’s Arif Junaidi and Yap Roy King 2-1 (21-14, 20-22, 21-16). The Indians storm into the semifinals, where they will face the Taiwanese duo of Chen C.K. and Lin Bing-Wei.
It was a strong display by Satwik and Chirag, after their bronze-medal finish in the World Championships. From the start, they asserted themselves and maintained a slender lead. Chirag’s backhand defence showed some vulnerability, but their coordination was spot-on. At 12-12 in the opening game, the Indians switched gears, pulling away to close it out 21-14.
The second game was the most thrilling of the match. The Malaysians looked set to take it comfortably, reaching game point at 20-16. But Satwik and Chirag fought back with four consecutive points to level at 20-20 and forced it to the extra points. However, a short serve from Chirag handed the advantage back to Arif/Yap, and they capitalised, taking the game 22-20, after Satwik failed to return in the next rally.
The decider mirrored the first, but with even more authority from the Indians. They started strong with a two-point lead and never let the Malaysians get ahead in any rally. At 17-10, their body language made the outcome look inevitable. Though they briefly wavered at match point, losing two in a row, they held their nerve to seal it 21-16.
Later in the day, fans will also be treated to an all-Indian men’s singles quarterfinal between Lakshya Sen vs Ayush Shetty.
On Saturday, September 13, Satwik and Chirag will fight for a place in the final against Chen and Lin.
For more updates, follow RevSportz