China Masters 2025: Satwik-Chirag reach last 16; Lakshya Sen crashes out in first round

Lakshya Sen finished as runner-up at Hong Kong Open last week.

Fresh from a runner-up finish at Hong Kong Open, Lakshya Sen suffered an uncharacteristic first-round exit at the China Masters 2025 in Shenzhen. However, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who also finished runner-up in Hong Kong, advanced to the second round on Wednesday.

The World No. 7 Indian pair overcame Malaysia’s Yap Roy King and Junaidi Arif 24-22, 21-13 in a 42-minute battle.

Satwik-Chirag were pushed hard in the first game. They started strong and led 11-9 at the interval but the Malaysians fought back and saved two game points.

Also Read: China Masters 2025: Updated schedule, fixtures, results & live streaming details

In the end, the Indian duo held their nerve to take the game 24-22. The second game was far smoother as the SatChi raced ahead 11-6 and then closed it out 21-13 with a run of seven straight points. This was the Indian pair’s second win over the Malaysian duo.

In the very next round, Satwik–Chirag will face another stern test against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin. They beat the World No.21 duo in the opening round of Hong Kong Open and will hope for a repeat of that performance in Shenzhen on Thursday.

Meanwhile, things didn’t go as well in singles and mixed doubles. Lakshya Sen crashed out in the first round against France’s Toma Junior Popov.

Sen never really found his rhythm, trailing badly in both games. By the first mid-game interval, Sen was already trailing 3-11 and never recovered, losing the opening game 11-21.

First round exit for Lakshya Sen! 💔After a podium finish last week, Sen crashes out in the opening round at China Masters with 11-21, 10-21 defeat to Toma Junior Popov.Disappointing performance today!📸 Badminton Photo#ChinaMasters2025 #Badminton pic.twitter.com/edeFHW1uTy

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 17, 2025

In the second game, the pattern was similar, Popov raced ahead 11-4 while Sen’s errors and weak defense could not improve at the net.

Despite trying to stay in the rallies, Sen could not mount any real fightback and went down 10-21, the match ending in just 30 minutes.

On the other hand, India’s mixed doubles hope also ended on the same day as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out against China’s second seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping.

The Indians played bravely in the first game but fell just short at 19-21. In the second game, the Chinese pair dominated, and the match ended 21-13 in 42 minutes.

In women’s doubles, India’s Swetaparna Panda and Rutaparna Panda were ousted by Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-8, 21-13.

Also Read: China Masters 2025: PV Sindhu starts in style, Ayush Shetty falls to sixth seed Chou Tien Chen

Earlier in the first day of the BWF Super 750 tournament, the two -time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu won her opening match against Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen.

Sindhu not only won the match but also demonstrated that her domination form is back. She wrapped up the match in only 27 minutes thrashing Jakobsen 21-5, 21-10.

Recap: PV Sindhu kicks off in style at the #ChinaMasters! A commanding straight-games win over Denmark’s Julie Jakobsen seals her R16 berth on Day 1! 💥 🏸🇨🇳Day 2 sees more 🇮🇳 action coming up:🔥 Satwik–Chirag eyeing the pre-quarters✨ Dhruv–Tanisha in Mixed Doubles🐼 Panda… pic.twitter.com/4jfDd7Qbyf

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) September 17, 2025

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