BWF Badminton Junior Championship
French Open 2025Indian BadmintonSatwik Chirag

French Open Shock: Satwik-Chirag Crash Out in 1st Round; Lose 21-18, 22-20 to Indonesian Pair

Shivansh Rana | 3 min read | 2 weeks ago | Oct 23, 2025 12:17 pm IST
French Open Shock: Satwik-Chirag Crash Out in 1st Round; Lose 21-18, 22-20 to Indonesian Pair

You won’t believe this. India’s star badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are out of the French Open 2025. Yeah, you read that right. The defending champions suffered a stunning first-round defeat on Wednesday, October 22, at the Glaz Arena in Cesson-Sevigne.

Key Takeaways

  • Shock Exit: World No. 3 Satwik-Chirag lost in the first round of the BWF Super 750 event.
  • Opponents: Unseeded Indonesian pair Rahmat Hidayat & Muhammad Rian Ardianto claimed the victory.
  • Scoreline: The Indians lost in straight games, 21-18, 22-20, in just 42 minutes.
  • Revenge Match: This loss comes just a week after Satwik-Chirag defeated the same pair at the Denmark Open.

What Just Happened?

Look, nobody saw this coming. Satwik and Chirag, the sixth seeds, walked onto the court as the clear favorites. But the Indonesian pair of Rahmat Hidayat and Muhammad Rian Ardianto had other plans. It was an intense battle from the start.

The first game slipped away 18-21. You thought they’d bounce back, right? They fought hard in the second, pushing it to the wire, but ultimately lost 20-22. The whole match was over in a flash. Just 42 minutes. It’s their first opening-round loss of 2025.

A Title Defense Cut Short

Here’s the thing that makes this sting even more. Satwik and Chirag weren’t just participants; they were the defending champions. They’ve dominated this tournament before, winning it in 2022 and 2024, and even reaching the final back in 2019. This was supposed to be their fortress.

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And get this. They literally just beat Hidayat and Ardianto last week in the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open. So, the Indonesian duo got their revenge, and they got it fast. While they’re a new combination, Ardianto is a two-time World Championships medallist, so they definitely have the skill.

A Tough Outing for Team India

It wasn’t just Satwik and Chirag who had a rough day. The French Open has been brutal for the Indian contingent so far. Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Anupama Upadhyaya, and Anmol Kharb all faced early exits.

But there is a silver lining. Youngster Unnati Hooda managed to advance in the women’s singles. So, not all hope is lost for India at the tournament.

What’s Next?

So what’s next for the world’s number three pair? This early exit is a massive upset, no doubt about it. They’ll need to regroup and figure out what went wrong. What do you think was the biggest factor in this shocking defeat?