Satwik-Chirag Cruise Into Singapore Open Round of 16; Mixed Fortunes for India on Opening Day

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, made a dominant start at the Singapore Open 2025 on Wednesday, advancing to the round of 16 with a straight-games victory. The BWF World Tour Super 750 event witnessed a blend of clinical performances, injury setbacks, and narrow defeats for the Indian contingent on a busy opening day.

Satwik and Chirag, seeded and expected to go deep in the tournament, made light work of Malaysia’s Muhammad Haikal and Choong Hon Jian, defeating them 21-16, 21-13 in just 37 minutes. The Indian duo controlled the tempo from the start and never allowed their opponents to settle, showcasing sharp net play and aggressive smashes throughout.

In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde also progressed to the next round. They overcame the American duo of Chen Zhi Yi and Francesca Corbett 21-16, 21-19 in a closely fought encounter lasting 35 minutes. The Indian pair held their nerve in the closing stages of both games to seal a well-earned victory.

However, India’s campaign suffered a blow in singles as Lakshya Sen was forced to retire during his round of 32 clash against Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei. In a tightly contested match at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sen pulled out midway through the decider with the score at 21-15, 17-21, 5-13, citing injury concerns.

There was a surprising twist in women’s doubles as Amrutha Pramuthesh and Sonali Singh advanced without lifting their rackets, receiving a walkover from second-seeded Japanese pair Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. The unexpected forfeit marked a rare free pass in a high-stakes Super 750 event.

In women’s singles, both Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda showed promise by winning their opening games against top Chinese shuttlers but couldn’t sustain the momentum. Aakarshi fell to third seed Han Yue 21-17, 13-21, 7-21, while Unnati lost 21-13, 9-21, 15-21 to second seed Wang Zhi Yi after a spirited effort.

Anupama Upadhyaya also bowed out, losing 12-21, 16-21 to Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei in a match where she struggled to find rhythm.

Later in the day, women’s doubles pairs Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Vaishnavi Khadkekar-Alisha Khan are slated to begin their campaign, as India looks to keep its hopes alive across multiple categories in the tournament’s second round.