India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty opened their BWF World Tour Finals 2025 campaign with a decisive victory on Wednesday, rallying past China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in a three-game contest at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The world number three Indians recovered from a first-game setback to win 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 in a high-intensity match lasting just over an hour, giving them an early boost in Group B. The group also includes Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik and Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
After losing control in the opening game as the Chinese pair closed it out comfortably, Rankireddy and Shetty showed composure in the second, saving crucial points late on to edge the game 22-20. They carried that momentum into the decider, pulling clear after an early exchange to seal the match 21-14.
The Indian pair will next face Alfian and Fikri on Thursday as they target a semifinal berth in the season-ending tournament.
Rankireddy and Shetty, ranked third in the world, have enjoyed a consistent season, winning bronze at the BWF World Championships and finishing runners-up at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters. The duo has also reached the semifinals of the Malaysia Open, India Open, Singapore Open, China Open and Denmark Open this year. The Hangzhou event marks their second appearance at the World Tour Finals, having previously featured in 2021.
(ANI)
