Indian Duo Satwik-chirag Eliminated from Australian Open Badminton Quarter-Finals
SYDNEY – The Indian menS doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag shetty were defeated in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open 2025 badminton tournament, ending their campaign in Sydney. The loss marks another setback for the world-class duo following a frist-round exit at the French Open in October, where they were upset by Indonesia’s Aridanto and Rahmat Hidayat, alfian’s long-time partner.
This outcome significantly narrows India’s medal hopes at the BWF World Tour event. With Satwik-Chirag’s departure, the nation’s challenge now rests solely on the shoulders of men’s singles player Lakshya Sen, a semi-finalist at Paris 2024. The result underscores the increasing competitiveness of the international badminton circuit and the pressure on India’s top players to deliver consistent performances as they prepare for future tournaments.
In contrast to the doubles result, Lakshya Sen advanced to the semi-finals with a decisive victory over compatriot Ayush Shetty. The 14th-ranked Sen, seeded seventh in the tournament, overcame Shetty, world No. 32, 23-21, 21-11 in a 52-minute quarter-final match.
The first game was closely contested, with both players saving game points before Sen ultimately prevailed. The second game proved one-sided, allowing Sen to extend his head-to-head record against Shetty to 2-0. Notably, Ayush Shetty remains the only Indian badminton player to have secured a BWF Tour title this year, having won the US Open.
