Changzhou, China – India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, continued their impressive form, securing a spot in the semifinals of the China Open Super 1000 tournament on Friday, July 25, 2025. This marks their third semifinal appearance on the BWF Tour this year, following their strong showings at the Singapore Open and India Open.
Satwik-Chirag dispatched Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in a convincing straight-games victory, winning 21-18, 21-14 in a quarterfinal match that lasted 40 minutes. Their win improves their head-to-head record against the Malaysian pair to 7-3.
The Indian duo will now face another formidable Malaysian pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the semifinals. This will be a highly anticipated rematch, as Chia and Soh had previously beaten Satwik-Chirag in a three-game thriller at the Singapore Open semifinals. The head-to-head record between these two pairs is heavily in favor of the Malaysians, with Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik holding a dominant 10-3 record against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as of their last meeting in the Singapore Open in June 2025.
Unnati Hooda’s Breakthrough Campaign Concludes
Earlier in the day, Indian youngster Unnati Hooda’s remarkable campaign at the China Open came to an end. The 17-year-old suffered a straight-games loss to two-time world champion and third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the quarterfinals. Yamaguchi defeated Hooda 21-16, 21-12 in 33 minutes to book her place in the semifinals.
Despite the loss, Hooda, ranked 35th in the world, reflected positively on her learning experience against the World No. 4. “I was making so many unforced errors at times when the scores were equal. She (Yamaguchi) was very good with her drop shots and controlled the game,” Hooda commented after the match. “I need to be more patient against her because she is really good with her defence. I can’t be in a hurry to finish the point. I should be patient to wait for the right time to attack.”
Nevertheless, this tournament has been a significant breakthrough for Hooda. Her journey to the quarterfinals included an impressive straight-games victory over World No. 29 Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland in the opening round, followed by a hard-fought three-game battle against compatriot and two-time Olympic medalist P. V. Sindhu in the Round of 16. Her performance marks her as a promising talent to watch in Indian badminton.
The China Open Super 1000 tournament, a key event on the BWF World Tour, is being held from July 22 to July 27, 2025, at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou.
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