Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty Lose Malaysia Open Semi-Finals

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's impressive run at the Malaysia Super 1000 badminton tournament came to an end following a straight-game loss to Korea's Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Seeded seventh, Satwik and Chirag, who reached the finals last season, lost 10-21 15-21 in a 40-minute semifinal clash. "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." The Asian Games champions struggled to get the right start and trailed 6-11 at the break in the opening game. Despite their efforts, the Indians could not make a comeback as Kim and Seo wrapped up the first game in just 19 minutes.

After the break, Satwik and Chirag showed better control and intent, making it 11-8 at the interval. However, they couldn't maintain the momentum, allowing the Koreans to recover and seal the contest comfortably.

Kim and Seo have reunited for the 2025 season after finding success with other partners.

Seo previously partnered Kang Min Hyuk to the world title in 2023 and reached world No. 7 with Choi Sol Gyu before that. Kim, on the other hand, claimed the mixed doubles silver medal 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