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India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to settle for a bronze medal at BWF World Championships in Paris as they lost to China's Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the semifinal on August 30.
The former world no.1 men's doubles pair could not script history by reaching the final as they lost 19-21, 21-18, 12-21 to China's 11th seeds. This is Rankireddy-Shetty's second bronze medal at World Championships. The last time they bagged a bronze medal was in 2022.
Rankireddy and Shetty were high on confidence after getting the better of two-time Olympic medallists from Malaysia, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.Â
The Indian pair started well in the opening game. They led by 9-3 as Chena and Liu were not at their defensive best. But soon, the Chinese duo got into the act and smashed their way to 21-19.Â
In the second game, Indian pair started well, taking a 5-1 lead. Near the net, Shetty made a few unforced errors. The Chinese pair made a comeback again. But this time, the Indian pair were able to stun the Chinese pair and forced the decider.
Unlike the first two games, the Indian pair looked falt in the third game. In a short span of time, the Chinese pair surged ahead 9-0. The Indian pair got points but couldn't recover. The attempts to inject life into the game were thwarted. Chen and Liu wrapped up the proceedings, winning the third game 21-12.
With Rankireddy and Shetty bowing out, India's campaign at the BWF World Championships came to an end.Â
In the final, Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi will go up against South Korea's Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho on August 31.Â
Struggles of Rankireddy-Shetty -
Earlier this year, the world no.3 pair had reached India Open semifinals. At the Indonesia, Singapore and China Open, they reached the quarterfinals.Â
Their season has been marred by injuries and health issues. Shetty struggled with a back injury that ruled him out for several weeks whereas Rankireddy endured health issues. Also, Rankireddy's father passed away in February 2025.
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