Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a commanding start to their campaign in the Macau Open Super 300 with a straight-game victory over Malaysia’s Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong in the men’s doubles first round in Macau on Tuesday.
Freshly reinstated in the top 10 of the BWF world rankings, the Asian Games gold medallists produced a clinical performance to outclass the Malaysian pair 21-13, 21-15 in just 36 minutes. The Indian duo started strong, racing to a 6-1 lead.
Though the Malaysians clawed back to within one point at 10-9, Satwik and Chirag surged ahead to take the opening game with ease. The second game was more competitive, with the Malaysians staying close until 13-14, but the Indians then pulled away with a four-point burst to seal the match.
In women’s singles, rising stars Anmol Kharb and Tasnim Mir advanced to the main draw after impressive wins in their respective qualification matches. Anmol defeated Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatimah Azzahra 21-11, 21-13, while Tasnim came through a tough three-game battle against Thailand’s Tidapron Kleebyeesun, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-17.
Tasnim will now face top seed and Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China, while Anmol is set to take on Thailand’s second seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
However, it wasn’t a good outing for the top-seeded women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who suffered a hard-fought first-round exit. The Indian pair lost to Lin Xiao Min and Peng Yu Wei of Chinese Taipei 21-16, 20-22, 15-21 in an hour-long encounter.
In men’s doubles qualifiers, Dingku Singh Konthoujam and Amaan Mohammad secured a spot in the main draw with a 21-18, 21-17 win over Hong Kong’s Law Cheuk Him and Yeung Shing Choi. They now face compatriots Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. in the next round.
In mixed doubles, Thandrangini Hema Nagendra Babu and Priya Konjengbam also progressed, setting up a clash with Thailand’s Phuwanat Horbanluekit and Fungfa Korpthammakit.
Meanwhile, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam’s campaign ended in the qualification stage after a 15-21, 21-17, 13-21 defeat to China’s Zhu Xuan Chen.
Satwik-Chirag return to top 10; Unnati attains career-high BWF rankings
India’s dynamic men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty returned to the top 10 of the BWF rankings, climbing three spots to reclaim the ninth spot.
The Indian duo, who had previously held the No. 1 ranking, rose up the ladder following their semifinal finish at the China Open, the season’s last Super 1000 badminton tournament. This was their fourth semifinal appearance of the 2025 season, having earlier reached the last four at the Malaysia Open, India Open and Singapore Open.
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen climbed two places to move up to world No. 17 with 54,442 points. Veteran shuttler HS Prannoy also gained ground, improving his ranking to No. 33.
In the women’s singles, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda, who stunned two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu at the China Open, attained the career best ranking as she jumped four spots to be placed 31. Despite the loss to the younger compatriot, Sindhu retained her No. 15 spot and remains the highest-ranked Indian in the women’s singles.
In women’s doubles, India’s leading pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand remained firm at No. 11, while Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa rose two positions to 45th.