Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen and the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty sailed into the semifinals of their respective events at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 badminton tournament on Friday.
And beyond personal grief, Satwik's gratitude spilled outward -- to those who cheered, to those who stood by him, and to the nation itself.
Top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty overcame a tough challenge to defeat Indonesia's Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana in their opening men's doubles match at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament.
Lakshya Sen's remarkable comeback, Satwik-Chirag's gritty doubles win, and Ayush Shetty's decisive victory propelled India into the Thomas Cup Finals semifinals with a 3-0 triumph over Chinese Taipei.
India squandered a golden opportunity to return with two titles as both Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty signed off with runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 in Hing Kong on Sunday.
Lakshya Sen entered his first major final in two years after edging out Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen in straight games, while the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stormed into the summit clash.
'We didn't get really any rhythm. We didn't start off that well. We gave away easy points (in the third game). We should have been a bit smarter. But, credit to them.'
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty assured India of a medal at the World Championships after defeating Malaysia's two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the quarter-finals in Paris.
'In the last couple of tournaments, we've served a lot better than in the past year. The game is too fast to rely on one style. You need multiple ways to score points, and that's what we are trying to develop.'
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their consistent run to advance to the semifinals of the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament but P V Sindhu bowed out after falling yet again to Olympic champion An Se Young, in Shenzhen n Friday.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdraw from the Badminton Asia Championships due to injury, leaving Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu to lead India's challenge.
Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty survived a scare before progressing to the men's doubles second round with a thrilling win over Scotland's Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley at the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament in Odense on Wednesday.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's campaign at the Badminton World Championships came to an end in the semifinals
Ayush Shetty's comeback win keeps India in the contest after Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their matches against China in the Thomas Cup Finals.
Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals, while Lakshya Sen lost his men's singles quarterfinal match in straight games at the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament, in Odense, on Friday.
Satwik and Chirag, who finished runners-up in last week's Hong Kong Open, eked out a 24-22, 21-13 victory over Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in 42 minutes
India will aim to continue their quest for a second title when they face Japan in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals. India progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A and will face Japan, who, like them, have won the title once.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was defeated by world No. 1 An Se Young at the Indonesia Open, marking her tenth consecutive loss to the Korean. Meanwhile, the Indian men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun caused a significant upset, advancing to their first-ever BWF World Tour Super 1000 quarterfinals.
India's top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after suffering a straight-game defeat to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals in Changzhou on Saturday.
Indian doubles coach Tan Kim Her praised Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for winning a bronze medal at the World Championships but rued the missed opportunity, saying the doubles specialists need to work more on their fitness to go the distance.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty fought hard but lost to Indonesia's Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the men's doubles final at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu faltered in the deciding game to lose to World No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the women's singles second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Thursday.
Satwik-Chirag won the match 19-21, 21-15, 21-17.
PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament with straight-game wins.
Treesa Jolly's ankle injury forces her withdrawal from the Uber Cup Finals, impacting India's campaign in Denmark. Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam have been named as replacements.
It's a good sign, best is yet to come: Satwik-Chirag on semifinal finish at Singapore Open
PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open, while HS Prannoy exited the tournament after a defeat to Loh Kean Yew.
PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open, while HS Prannoy exited the tournament after a defeat to Loh Kean Yew.
India secured an unassailable 3-1 lead against Canada in their opening Group tie of the Thomas Cup Finals, with key wins from Ayush Shetty and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
India's badminton team advances to the Thomas Cup semifinals after a decisive 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, fuelled by standout performances from Ayush Shetty and Lakshya Sen.
Former champion Lakshya Sen produced a composed and tactical performance to advance to the quarterfinals of the $950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy bowed out after a spirited show, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Satwik and Chirag, who recently bagged their second bronze medal at the World Championships in Paris, overcame Taiwan's Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin 21-13, 18-21, 21-10 in their opening round.
Top-seeded Indian men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew from the Swiss Open due to a shoulder injury sustained by Rankireddy.
India will aim to continue their quest for a second title when they face Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals.
Satwik and Chirag will next face third-seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty outclassed Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia in straight games to enter the semi-finals of the China Open Super 100.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced a nationwide mascot design contest for the upcoming BWF World Championships 2026, inviting fans, artists, and creators to play a role in shaping the identity of one of badminton's most prestigious global events.
Ashwini and Tanisha, who won the Guwahati Masters super 100 title, last month will take on Malaysia's Pei Kee Go and Mei Xing Teoh next.
World No 17 Sen, started strongly and took the first game 21-15. But Lin, bounced back to claim the second 21-17.
India will face Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals, aiming to continue their quest for a second title. India progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A. Chinese Taipei, led by world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen, topped Group C.
