The golden journey of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has come to an end in the BWF World Tour Finals 2025. This Indian pair had to face defeat from China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the semi-finals.
Satwik-Chirag won the first game but could not take advantage of it and lost 21-10, 17-21 13-21 in the semi-final match that lasted 1 hour 3 minutes. Satwik and Chirag had defeated this Chinese pair in the group stage but the rival pair turned the tables at the crucial moment.
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Chirag said this after the defeat
After the loss to the Chinese pair, Chirag Shetty said, ‘I think we started very well in the first game but I think they played a little better in the second game and we could not take advantage of the victory in the first game.’
The Indian pair took the first game 9-6, leading by 4 points at the break. Satwik-Chirag maintained a strong hold on the rallies. Consecutive 8 point lead gave them lead by 10 points. They won the first game by hitting shots on the net of the Chinese players. The Chinese players took a 6-3 lead in the second game with the help of good serving and accurate shots, which also played a role in the mistakes of the Indian pair.
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Satvik-Chirag lost due to fatigue
The Chinese pair was leading 17-15 but Chirag’s strategic understanding took India to 17-19. Satwik’s shot between the legs went wide, giving China three game points. With Liang’s shot, the Chinese pair won the game and leveled the score at 1-1. Wang Chang was in great form at the start of the third and deciding game as Liang rained down smashes as China raced to a 6-1 lead.
Satwik-Chirag had trouble understanding the flick serve, due to which they fell 2-10. The same trend continued after the break and the score became 2-14. They made a comeback from 11-19 but the Chinese pair won it all.
After the defeat, Chirag admitted that he was tired by the third game. He said, ‘I think we were not as accurate and were also very tired. Last night we went to sleep at 2:30. By the time our match ended, it was almost 12 o’clock. I think the third game was definitely a lot faster because we weren’t as quick as we were in the first two games. The smashes in the first two games were very strong. It seemed like there was too much power in those smashes and we couldn’t use that power in the third game.
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