India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty endured heartbreak in the China Masters 2025 badminton tournament after losing the men’s doubles final in straight games at the Shenzhen Arena on Sunday.
Seeded eighth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, lost against world champions and top seeds Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of Republic of Korea 21-19, 21-15 in 45 minutes.
This was Satwik-Chirag’s second successive defeat in the final of the 2025 BWF World Tour after finishing as runners-up at the Hong Kong Open earlier this month.
It was also the Indian badminton players’ second appearance in the final of the China Masters having finished as runners-up in the 2023 edition of the tournament.
The opening game saw Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae take a 3-0 lead early on but Satwik-Chirag quickly wrestled back control to head into the interval with an 11-7 lead.
Satwik-Chirag surged ahead to 14-7 after the break, but a spirited fightback from Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, which was marked by sharp net play and unforced errors by the Indians, wiped out the advantage.
The South Koreans then capitalised on their first game point to seal the opening game, having come back from a seven point deficit at one stage.
The second game was closely fought, with neither pair pulling away as Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae held a slender 11-10 lead at the interval.
However, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty struggled to find their rhythm after the interval as the South Koreans opened up a 15-11 lead and never looked back en route to the China Masters title.
This was Satwik-Chirag’s second defeat in as many matches against Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae.
Ayush Shetty is the only Indian to win a BWF World Tour event in 2025 at the US Open so far.