Changzhou, China, July 24, 2025— Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s famous men’s doubles team, have easily made it to the pre-quarterfinals of the present China Open badminton event. Their great performance in Changzhou keeps them at the top of the list of the best duos in the world.
The 12th-ranked pair in the world won their match against Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana in straight games, 21-19, 21-19, to move on to the next round. This came after a strong Round of 32 match, in which Satwik and Chirag showed off their better form. In just 31 minutes, they easily beat the Japanese team of Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura by scores of 21-13 and 21-9. The Indian duo maintained their flawless record against the Japanese pair, ensuring their unblemished run remained intact.
But HS Prannoy, who won a medal in men’s singles at the World Championships, had a different experience. Prannoy lost to Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in the Round of 16 and was out of the competition. Prannoy won the opening game 21-18, but he couldn’t keep up the pace and lost the next two games by scores of 15-21 and 8-21.
On Wednesday, Unnati Hooda, a promising young shuttler, gave a strong performance in the women’s singles tournament. The 17-year-old beat the more experienced Scottish player Kirsty Gilmour easily, winning 21-11 and 21-16 in just 36 minutes. Unnati’s great win puts her in the Round of 16, where she will face fellow Indian and two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu in an intriguing match.
PV Sindhu, on the other hand, had to get over an early scare to get to the next round at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou. Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan threatened to terminate Sindhu’s campaign, but the experienced Indian shuttler stormed back to make it to the pre-quarter-finals. Sindhu won a tough match against Miyazaki that lasted 1 hour and 2 minutes by scores of 21-15, 8-21, and 21-17. In their second career meeting, Sindhu started off strong against her Japanese opponent in the first game, taking an early lead and easily winning it. Sindhu had a hard time controlling Miyazaki in the second game, and she lost 8-21 in a very one-sided match. The match then headed to a tense deciding game, which was fought almost on level terms until Sindhu upped her ante in the crucial moments, landing the decisive blows to earn her place in the Round of 16.
The Indian pair of Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, known as the “Panda sisters,” had a tough time in the women’s doubles against a couple from Hong Kong China that had been playing for a long time. They ended their season after losing 12-21 and 13-21, which was a clear loss.