India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, registered their second successive win at the BWF World Tour Finals 2025, defeating Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in a pulsating three-game contest at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium on Thursday, December 18.
The World No. 3 Indians showed authority and composure to win 21-11, 16-21, 21-11, extending their unbeaten run in Group B and moving into a strong position for a semi-final berth. With two wins from two matches, Satwik and Chirag now lead the group and have built a considerable advantage in points difference.
It was another marathon from Satwik and Chirag, a day after they opened their campaign at the season-ending Tour Finals with a gritty 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 win over Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China
On Thursday, Satwik and Chirag were dominant in the opening game, never trailing at any stage as they controlled the rallies and took it 21-11. The Indonesians, winners of the China Open Super 1000 earlier this year despite forming their partnership only in 2025, mounted a fightback in the second game. Although the Indians recovered from an early 8-3 deficit to level at 12-12, they eventually conceded the game 16-21.
The Indian pair responded emphatically in the decider. After brief early exchanges, Satwik and Chirag surged ahead, opening up leads of up to eight points before closing out the match comfortably at 21-11.
They will next face second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia on Friday in their final group fixture.
Satwik and Chirag have had troubles against the Malaysian pair in the past, reeling at 5-11 in their head-to-head meetings. However, the Indians defeated their nemesis in their last two meetings, which included the World Championships quarterfinal in August.
Satwik and Chirag, who are on top of Group B, will be assured of a place in the semifinal if they win on Friday against Aaron and Soh. However, if they lose the match, they will have to wait for the result of the other match in the group between Liang/Wang and Alifan/Fikri.
– Ends
