Satwik-Chirag's projected path to BWF World Championships 2025 final

Satwik-Chirag has been struggling for form this year, having been sidelined due to injuries and other unfortunate circumstances.

India’s top men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face a tough challenge if they want to win a medal at the BWF World Championships 2025. The tournament to be held in Paris will begin on August 25. The finals in all five categories will be held on August 31.

Satwik-Chirag previously clinched a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2022 edition. However, things look much tougher this time. Earlier this month, the World No. 9 pair crashed out in the quarterfinals at the Macau Open, losing to the unheralded pairing of Hon Jian Choong and Muhammad Haikal.

However, if there are any Indian shuttlers in recent years who have created magic on the court, it is this duo, as they have kept the flag fluttering in various tournaments around the globe.

Their potential and skill to beat any pair in the world and finish on the podium cannot be doubted. However, it would be interesting to see if they can up their game at the right time.

Let’s take a look at their projected path to glory.

Satwik-Chirag’s projected path in BWF World Championships 2025-

R64: Bye

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are one of the sixteen pairings in the Men’s Doubles category to have been given a bye in the first round.

R32: Liu Kuang Heng/ Yang Po Han

Liu Kuang Heng/ Yang Po Han will be up against lower-ranked Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi in the first round. The former pair will be favourites.

Satwik and Chirag would be backing themselves to secure a dominant victory against either of the two mentioned pairings. It is worth noting that the World No. 23 Chinese Taipei pair has never faced the former World No. 1 Indian pair.

R16: Liang Keng/ Wang Chang

If the Indian duo manages to reach the pre-quarterfinals, they are likely to be facing the unenviable task of going up against World No. 5 Liang Keng/ Wang Chang. The Chinese pair have also been in poor form this year, with a runner-up finish at the Orleans Masters being their only notable performance.

However, Satwik and Chirag appear to have mental blocks when they play against them, as was seen recently in the Japan Open. They haven’t tasted success in the last four meetings.

Quarter-finals: Aaron Chia/ Soh Wooi Yik

If the Asian Games champions manage to scrape through, they would potentially have to face another nemesis in the form of Aaron Chia/ Soh Wooi Yik. The second seeds have already clinched three titles this year.

A year ago, they had knocked out the Indians at the same stage in the same city at the 2024 Olympics. The head-to-head record also favours the Malaysian team: 13-3. Rankireddy and Shetty will have to play out of their skins to assure themselves of a second World Championships medal.

Semi-finals: Goh Sze Fei/ Nur Izzuddin

Arguably, the challenge becomes easier if the World No. 9 pair reaches the semifinals. Blocking their path to a first-ever World Championship final appearance could be Goh Sze Fei/ Nur Izzuddin.

The third seeds have had their share of success, winning the India Open and ending as runners-up at the Japan Open. However, the Indians do know how to crack this code, considering they have emerged victorious in four out of the six encounters between them and the Malaysians.

Final: Kim Won Ho/ Seo Seung Jae or Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto

If the Khel Ratna award winners reach the final unscathed, they might have to contend with top seeds Kim Won Ho/ Seo Seung Jae in their bid to become the first-ever Indian doubles team to win a BWF World Championships gold.

The Koreans have been unstoppable this year, having won five titles and reached the summit clash in two other tournaments. They are firm favorites to finish on top of the podium. Satwik and Chirag lost in straight sets in their only encounter earlier this year.

However, one mustn’t write off Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto. The former had teamed up with Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and won the China Open title.

He is now reunited with Ardianto, and the Indonesian is seeded fourth. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty would be much more confident, though, against the former World No. 1 duo as they have triumphed in the last four fixtures between the two, the most recent victory coming in the group stages of the Olympics last year.

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