Satwik-Chirag races to Hong Kong Open final with dominant win in semis

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, secured their first final of the year with a commanding performance at the Hong Kong Open 2025 on Saturday, September 13. The Asian Games gold-medallist duo defeated Taiwan’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Lin Bing-Wei in straight games, winning 21-17, 21-15 in just 38 minutes.

This marks Satwik and Chirag’s first final since the Thailand Open in 2024 and ends a frustrating run of five semi-final exits earlier this year. Their breakthrough came at the sixth attempt, finally putting them back in contention for a title after months of near-misses.

The opening game saw a spirited challenge from Chen and Lin, who closed the gap after the mid-game interval. However, Satwik and Chirag responded with a series of sharp smashes and precise net play to regain control and close out the game 21-17.

In the second, the Indians shifted gears quickly, surging ahead early and maintaining their momentum to seal a comfortable 21-15 win.

The Indian pair will now face either the sixth-seeded Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China or Taiwan’s sibling duo Lee Fang-Chih and Lee Fang-Jen in the summit clash.

Lakshya Sen eye final berth

India’s Lakshya Sen is the only Indian left in singles at the Hong Kong Open 2025 and will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-Chen in the semi-finals on Saturday. Chou reached the last four after defeating Alwi Farhan 22-20, 16-21, 21-14.

Lakshya began his campaign with a hard-fought 22-20, 16-21, 21-15 win over Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-wei. He then edged past compatriot HS Prannoy 15-21, 21-18, 21-10 in a thrilling Round of 16 clash.

In the quarter-finals, the 24-year-old beat Ayush Shetty 21-16, 17-21, 21-13 to book his place in the semis.

Among the other Indians, PV Sindhu’s campaign ended in the first round with a narrow three-game defeat to Denmark’s Line Christophersen, 21-15, 16-21, 19-21.

Despite taking the opening game and fighting hard in the decider, Sindhu fell short at the finish. The loss marked her first defeat to Christophersen in six encounters.