By Shaurya Dutt

Paris [France], September 2 (ANI): Indian men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have described their victories over higher-ranked Malaysian and Chinese opponents at the recently concluded BWF World Championships 2025 in Paris as 'special,' after going on to clinch the bronze medal.

The event carried added significance for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag, as they overcame two of their toughest rivals. They defeated the second-seeded Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (21-12, 21-19) in the quarterfinals -- avenging their Olympic heartbreak in Paris last year -- and the Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang (19-21, 21-15, 21-17) in the round of 16, who have often troubled them in recent seasons.

'I think those are very important wins for us, and we haven't had the best of head-to-heads against either of them,' Chirag Shetty told ANI. 'We were quite well prepared leading up to the matches. Even when we were down, we had the belief that we could come back. We just had to be in the game and be close to them as much as possible. Those two wins were quite special.'

Satwik and Chirag went on to clinch the bronze medal, extending India's remarkable streak of winning at least one medal at the World Championships since 2011. This was their second medal at the Worlds, following their 2022 bronze, making them the only Indian pair to achieve this distinction.

Reflecting on the medal, Chirag said, 'It's been a really fruitful journey. Neither of us has had a really good time, on and off the court, especially after the Olympics. It's been a tough year, but this medal definitely makes it a lot better.'

Satwik echoed the sentiments, calling the tournament 'a great week to remember.'

'We have given our best, and that was the happiest part. Winning the medal is very special, but I wanted to play our A game and see where we stand. It's been a while since we played some good quality badminton. We have played some really good matches here. It's a great experience and a great week to remember,' he told ANI.

India's medal streak has continued unbroken since 2011, most recently extended by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's bronze in Paris 2025, their second at the event.

The BWF announced during the closing ceremony in Paris that the 2026 edition will return to India after 17 years, with New Delhi chosen as the host city for the landmark 30th Championships in August. A formal handover took place between BWF President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Federation Francaise de Badminton President Frank Laurent, and Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra.

India last hosted the event in Hyderabad in 2009. Since then, PV Sindhu's historic gold in Basel in 2019, along with Saina Nehwal's silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017, has made women's singles the most successful category, contributing seven medals overall.

In men's singles, Kidambi Srikanth (silver, 2021), B Sai Praneeth (bronze, 2019), Lakshya Sen (bronze, 2021), and HS Prannoy (bronze, 2023) have all medalled. Satwik and Chirag added a new chapter in 2022, becoming the first Indians to medal in men's doubles, a feat they repeated in 2025. (ANI)