Chirag-Satwik Reach China Open 2025 Semifinals with Straight-Games Victory; Unnati Hooda's Campaign Ends

The Indian pair secured a convincing victory in just 40 minutes, winning 21-18, 21-14 at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. Following impressive performances at the India, Singapore, and Malaysia Opens, this marks their fourth semi-final appearance this season.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty progressed to the men's doubles semi-finals of the BWF Super 1000 China Open 2025 after defeating Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in straight games on Friday.

The Indian pair showcased a dominant performance at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, clinching the match 21-18, 21-14 in just 40 minutes. This marks their fourth semi-final appearance this season, following impressive runs at the India, Singapore, and Malaysia Opens.

After a strong start in the first game, Satwik and Chirag overcame an initial lead by the Malaysian pair to win 21-18. In the second game, they seized six points to break a 15-14 lead and secure victory. They will now face the world's second-ranked pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia—the same pair that eliminated them in the Paris 2024 Olympic quarter-finals.

Earlier, Unnati Hooda's impressive run at the China Open 2025 concluded with a quarter-final loss to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. The world number four defeated the young Indian shuttler 21-16, 21-12 to advance to the semi-finals.

Playing in her first-ever BWF Super 1000 event, the 17-year-old Unnati garnered headlines with her fearless performance, becoming only the fourth Indian women's singles shuttler to reach the quarter-finals of a BWF Super 1000 event. Unnati had secured her place in the China Open 2025 women's singles quarter-finals on Thursday with a stunning victory over two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu.