Singapore Open 2025: Chirag-Satwik upset top seed Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin to enter into semis

Indian ace badminton duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the Singapore Open 2025 semi-finals by defeating the world no.1 duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin on Friday (May 30).

The Indian pair defeated their Malaysian counterparts in two straight games of 21-17, 21-15 in the Singapore Open 2025. With a sublime defence and accurate precision, they outplayed their opponent and took the opening game home within 40 minutes.

Coming into this high-octane clash, the Malaysian duo had the better head-to-head record leading by 6-2. However, recently in the India Open 2025, they suffered a loss to the same duo of Chirag and Satwik.

Interestingly, this is the third semi-final appearance of the Indian duo this season, having previously reached the Malaysian Open and India Open earlier this year. Unfortunately, they tasted defeat in both of these pressure matches.

The match began with a few early mistakes from both ends. But with the score seven all, Satwik and Chirag started to cruise ahead, all thanks to smart serves and quick shots. Satwik’s powerful forehand smash helped the Indian duo race awayt with a lead of 18-15. In the final stages, the Malaysians fumbled with few errors including a missed return, that saw the Indians pocket the opening game.

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In the second game, Chirag made few errors early, but the Indians stayed calm. They went on a four-point run to lead 10-6, and then Chirag’s sharp body shot helped them build a 4-point lead at the break in second game.

After the break, Satwik’s smashing form continued and His backhand and aggressive shots took the lead to 16-10. Despite a few mistakes near the end, the Indian pair held their nerve and Satwik’s fierce return earned five match points, and they sealed the win after another error from the Malaysians.

Satwik and Chirag will have their eyes set on the first title of the season. They will face another Malaysian duo of A. Chia and W.Y. Soh on Saturday (May 31), whom they had lost recently in the Paris 2024 Olympics quarterfinal.