From Semifinals To Silverware: Satwik-Chirag Target Breakthrough At India Open

Last Updated:January 12, 2026, 17:50 IST

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty aim to end their title drought at the 2026 India Open after a year of near-misses.

Satwik-Chirag won bronze at the BWF World Championships in August (Picture credit: AFP)

Semifinalists at the 2025 India Open, at the Singapore Open in May, at the China Open in July, at the BWF World Championships in August, at the Denmark Open in October, at the BWF World Tour Finals in December and finalists at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters in September.

This is how Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty performed over the last year: classic cases of so near yet so far.

At the 2026 India Open, the star Indian men’s doubles duo would look to finally end the title drought.

“Obviously, as athletes and for the coach as well, we all want to see ourselves on the podium. But I think it is only a matter of time. We have won plenty before, so I would not call it a mental block," Chirag told News18 Sports when asked about his and Satwik’s conversation with coach Tan Kim Her regarding the performances.

“We have been there, we have done it. Sometimes we just have not played the right game, or the opponent has been better on the day. It is only a matter of time before we are back on that podium, lifting titles again. For now, all we can do is focus on improving ourselves and addressing those shortcomings," Chirag added.

Malaysia’s Tan Kim Her was the coach who brought together Chirag and Satwik as a pair, the most successful men’s doubles duo to ever play for India. While they were coached by London Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe for a long time, Tan coach, as he is called, rejoined the duo last year.

During the conversation with the media, Satwik revealed that the difference between training with Boe and training with Tan is a lot, with the latter focusing more on longer training periods, which are sometimes demanding on the body.

Did the duo take time to get used to the change in training regimes? Satwik told News18 Sports, “It is tough in both ways. With Mathias, a drill lasted just two or three minutes, but with Tan, it stretches to five or six. That sudden jump in load, from two minutes to five, is really demanding on the body."

“Initially, it was difficult to cope with, but we have adapted, having gone through similar phases earlier with coach Tan as well. Early on, managing our bodies and the constant niggles was a challenge."

“It felt like we were always in recovery mode rather than pushing forward, managing, playing well, then managing again. It has not been easy. But somehow, we got through 2025 with all its struggles and now we are looking ahead to 2026 with optimism," Satwik added. 

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