Sydney, November 18, 2025 – Top-seeded Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty commenced their campaign at the Australian Open Super 500 tournament with a hard-fought victory over Chinese Taipei's Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei. The world No. 3 pair battled for 48 minutes to secure a 25-23, 21-16 win in the opening round of the men's doubles event.
Rankireddy and Shetty, who have been India's standout performers this season, are aiming for their first title of the year at the Australian Open. The Asian Games champions have had a strong year, including a World Championships bronze and runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750 events. After dropping to No. 27 in the world in May, the duo has since climbed back to the No. 3 spot.
The match was tightly contested, particularly in the first game. Chang and Po initially took a 6-2 lead, maintaining a narrow advantage until 16-14. Rankireddy and Shetty then rallied, taking the lead at 19-17, leading to a tense exchange. The Indians secured a game point after a fierce rally, but the Taiwanese pair saved it with a powerful smash. The game continued to go back and forth, with the Taiwanese players eventually faltering at the net, allowing the Indian pair to clinch the first game.
Building on their momentum, Satwik and Chirag established a 7-4 lead in the second game. However, errors and strong play from their opponents allowed Chang and Po to close the gap. At the interval, the Indian pair held a narrow one-point lead. After the restart, Rankireddy and Shetty regained control, extending their lead to 18-15 and ultimately winning the match.
In contrast to Satwik and Chirag's success, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced disappointment in the women's doubles event. The fourth-seeded Indian pair lost to Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari in straight games, 21-10, 21-14. This was Treesa and Gayatri's first event after a three-and-a-half-month break.
Looking ahead, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to face another team from Chinese Taipei, Su Ching Heng and Wu Guan Xun, in the round of 16. Meanwhile, India's singles players, including Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, are hoping to find consistency after experiencing intermittent injuries and mixed results. Lakshya Sen will play against Su Li Yang, also from Chinese Taipei. HS Prannoy, who finished as runner-up at the Australian Open last year, will face Brian Yang of Canada. Other singles players in contention include Kidambi Srikanth, Ayush Shetty, Kiran George, and Tharun Mannepalli. Aakarshi Kashyap is the only Indian player in the women's singles draw and will face top seed An Se Young.
