India’s premier men’s doubles duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, bowed out of the BWF World Championships 2025 with a bronze medal after a tough semifinal defeat to China’s Liu Yi and Chen Bo Yang in Paris on Saturday. The former world No. 1 pair lost 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 in a 67-minute battle that denied them a historic first-ever final appearance for an Indian men’s doubles pair at the Worlds.

Satwik and Chirag, seeded ninth, came into the semifinal riding high on confidence after ousting world No. 2 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarters. They started strong, surging to early leads in both the opening games. However, Liu and Chen displayed composure under pressure, erasing deficits to take the first game 21-19. The Indians hit back with resilience in the second, winning 21-18, but faltered in the decider. A disastrous start saw them trail 0-7, later 0-9, as unforced errors and missed challenges allowed the Chinese to dominate. The match slipped away quickly, with Liu and Chen closing it 21-12.

Despite the loss, Satwik-Chirag made history by becoming the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win multiple World Championships medals, adding to their 2022 bronze. Their performance also ensured India’s 14-year streak of podium finishes at the Worlds stayed intact, underlining the nation’s growing stature in doubles badminton.