Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty lose Malaysia Open semifinals to Korean pair

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's impressive run at the Malaysia Open ended in the semifinal, as they lost to the Korean pair of Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. "They played really well, and we could have followed our game plan a bit better," Satwik said after the match.

Indian star pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open to Korean duo Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, January 11. 

Satwik and Chirag had an impressive run in the tournament but their campaign was halted when they lost the semifinal clash in straight games 10-21 15-21 in 40 minutes. 

The Indian duo trailed in the first half of the opening game 6-11 and could not recover much, losing the first game inside 19 minutes. They bounced back strongly in the second game as they took an 11-8 lead at the interval. However, they could not keep the lead and were outclassed in the second half. 

Both the players interacted with the media after the match. Satwik said that he and Chirag could have followed their game better.  "They played really well, and we could have followed our game plan a bit better. Instead, we played some random strokes, but kudos to them for playing a solid game," Satwik told reporters.

"Today, the pace of the game was very slow compared to the last three days. It's part of the game. It was a valuable learning experience for us. It is disappointing, but we have a long way to go. Today’s match showed that we can still make it a good fight," he added.

Kim and Seo have reunited for the 2025 season after finding success with other partners. Seo had paired with Kang Min Hyuk to the world title in 2023, while Kim had won a silver medal in the mixed doubles alongside Jeong Na-eun at the Paris Olympics.

"They both are playing like a mixed doubles pair now, which is making it tougher," laughed Satwik. They are not giving away any easy points, and that’s their best quality. We have to work hard for every point, and that’s exactly what happened today."

Chirag also opened up on the game.  "I think we started to be a little calmer in the second game. But credit to them, I think we gave away a few easy points from 11-8, but they were also serving quite well." Satwik and Chirag haven't played much badminton since the Olympics.

They will next feature in the India Open Super 750, starting January 14. The Indian pair will face Malaysia’s Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee in the first round.

"Really excited. It's our home tournament and we would really want to go, play well there, and go as deep into the tournament as possible," Chirag signed off.