Satwik-Chirag vs Seo-Kim, China Masters 2025 Highlights: SatChi defeated in straight-games by world champs

Satwik-Chirag tried everything (maybe too much at the front court). But Seo Seung-jae had even the back line covered. Very little the Indians could have done. They used to be called Dynamic Duo. But Satwik-Chirag will need Plans A to I - J at least, to counter Seung-jae. He's mental, in a very fine way.

The loss ends the Indian's good run against leftie-righties in the last two weeks. Because.... THAT leftie Seo.

Next week: (Sigh. Chuckle) Korea Open.

Shivani Naik

On a lighter note, these Koreans have a pedigree perception problem.

Kim Won ho is constantly battling comparisons with his Olympic champion mother. And Seo has a toddler son Dori, who's more famous than him on Korean social networks.

They are also, the best doubles shuttlers in the world.

Shivani Naik

It's escalated quickly! Five match points for Kim and Seo in the blink of an eye.

The Indians just about staying in this. A lovely service return from Satwik.

This Seo Seung-jae cramps Satwik's ability to lift (India's defensive attack), with his defensive return angle that is used as an attack!

Chirag gets his behind-the-back return, but Seo just out-magifies him. First deception cross and then attacks a net chord aided tipple.

Shivani Naik

THAT IS A STUNNING SHOT FROM SEO! And even coach Tan seemed to be in awe. The Indians are once more unleashing a barrage of attacking shots. Satwik at the net must have surely thought the point was over when he went for the kill down the middle but Seo somehow changes direction with his block and has Chirag diving at the backcourt in vain.

THAT. IS. RIDICULOUS.

Another good little mini-phase in the match for the Indians, aggressive in the flat exchanges and Satwik quick to kill from close to the net. There's that side-by-side attack that coach Tan keeps asking for often.

What a miss from Chirag. Another really good rally from all four players, but Chirag gets a little over eager at the net, making the move across to put away a kill but ends up snatching at it.

Bah. Koreans take the opener 21-19. Despite off colour Kim. It's SEO all the way. He just opened up the court with his southpaw angles and crazy range.

In his warmup, he hops up and down and also wobbles his neck left-right at same time. His 4 limbs are always going in 4 different directions.

Shivani Naik

Two quick points for the Indians and we are back level. What a game.

It's the Koreans who have the first game point, after a sensational (we are tired of saying. that already) return of serve from Seo Seung Jae. And the Koreans do indeed take the lead, 21-19.

Oh dear! A mistake from Satwik and Chirag each and the first game is now in the sights of the Koreans.

Chuckle. Remember how all those serves used to torture the Indians because they were ejected exactly from that trajectory just over the tape. Imagine reimagining it as returns / blocks. Too much fun.

But Seo beginning to read & hit back. He's too intelligent unfortunately.

Shivani Naik

And now the Koreans are fighting back. Chirag does well early in this longish rally to keep it going but the tempo has gone up from the Korean side. Satwik eventually drives the shuttle into the net.

This is now a pretty sensational run from the Indians! Satwik-Chirag are dominating the service-return situations. A run of 10 out of the 11 points. Kim has been a little erratic so far.

WHAT A RALLY! Sensational badminton from all four players. The Indians once again on the attack early on, but Seo and Kim pull off some miraculous saves. Satwik then changes up the pace, slowing it down with drops from the backcourt, then the pace improves on the flat exchange before the Koreans make the error.

SUPER RALLY! Just as Gill Clark and Steen Pedersen were describing this as a battle between the best attack in the world in men's doubles (the Indians) and the best defence in the world (the Koreans), they produce a rally befitting of that description. Superb defence from the Koreans but the barrage of smashes from the Indians eventually wins the point.

A couple of mistakes from Chirag to start off and both "rallies" not really coming out of the first 3-4 shots. The Indians get on board after a good return from Chirag, followed by a kill shot from Satwik midcourt.

While the Indians are yet to drop a game this week, the world champions have had to take the scenic route. Quite a few tough battles, starting with the replay of the World Championships final in the very first round.

Seo Seungjae is probably the best doubles player in the world over the last two-plus years and his leftie-brilliance has bothered the Indians in the past as well. A big challenge coming up for Satwik-Chirag.

Here's a reminder of the only meeting between Satwik-Chirag and Kim-Seo earlier this year.

Long rallies brought PV Sindhu a miniscule of points against An Se-young. But neither Sindhu’s credentials as former World champion, nor her resurgent form, not her attacking panache, not her defensive reach, stood any chance against the dominant World No 1 Korean. With her 21-14, 21-13 win at China Masters, Se-young went 8-0 up on Sindhu in career head to heads. Se-young has scored 354 points against Sindhu’s 234, which averages almost 15 points more in each of the 8 matches they have played. The Korean is uncontestable by several players, but some head-to-heads are surprising and epoch-defining.

Read more here by Shivani Naik

Lin Chun Yi making a fight out of it in the 2nd game.

Weng Hong Yang has taken the opening game against Lin Chun Yi rather comfortably in the battle of unseeded lefties. Satwik-Chirag's match will begin after this.

Speaking to The Indian Express after World Championships bronze, Satwik-Chirag looked back on their week in Paris and discussed what’s next.

What does this medal mean to you?

Satwik: It’s been a tough season for us, on and off the court. Things were not in place mentally, physically. So many things in the background. But still fighting for the place in the top eight, and still hunting for that podium finish. At the right time we picked up. Yes, a little disappointed too. We could have gone a little further. But before coming here, we wanted to beat these two pairs. Especially the Chinese, then obviously Aaron-Soh, the way we played, I was happy that we are not so behind. We are up there. We settle with bronze, next we will see in Delhi.

You must have been remembering your father as well.

Satwik: Definitely. I was talking to mom about that only when I called on Saturday. She couldn’t sleep as well. She was saying how dad would have been so happy, he’d have been calling everyone. And he’d have been the one talking to the press. But now house is very quiet. So I told her to take Dad’s phone and just talk with everyone! (Smiles) Just switch on his phone and talk in whatever language she was comfortable with. We laughed about that. Then I talked with my brother. On the podium, I was feeling quite emotional. Seeing the Indian flag. Just last year, we thought we would be standing here, same place. Now, after one year, we are standing, but without him. Life goes on.

Going forward, Ashwini says her only wish is they stay fit and healthy. “The challenge always is how to get an injury-riddled body working for the game. Body takes a beating, there’s more wear and tear because of their style than players who play defensive and take pace off the shuttle. Countering new pairs – not yet analysed, can pose a separate challenge, knowing back of their mind that their own game is threadbared,” she says. What’s always struck Ashwini about Satwik-Chirag is how they’ve been ambitious together. “I love their ambition, and it used to fuel their success. But now the bond is strengthened because they look out for each other, after failure. That’s unbreakable,” Ashwini says.

Read more by Shivani Naik here.

He is as popular as some of the K-drama stars, and with his mid parting and curls, even considered as Goblin Kim Shin of badminton, after the acclaimed series lead, Gong Yoo. But Seo Seung-jae receives international admiration, especially after he defended his men’s doubles world title at Paris won with Kang Min-hyuk, with a different partner, Kim Won Ho. In 2023, Seung-jae won both mixed and men’s doubles titles, in 2025 he claimed the men’s again, defeating the Chinese upstarts Liu-Chen. His game style might be as effective as the Indonesian Daddies (Hendra Setiawan and Md Ahsan), but Seung-jae is increasingly getting tagged with a similar nickname too: in the badminton universe, and the crazed Far East following, he is ‘Dori Papa’, tagged after his former new-born Dori, whose birth and every milestone gets followed by millions on Instagram.

Read more from Shivani Naik here.

During the coaching intervals, coach Tan would start off by giving his tactical inputs. And then he'd look at his wards and throw in a question: "What do you think?" After the opening game, it was to Chirag. In Game 2's mid-game interval, it was to Satwik. He'd listen on as they weighed in with their tactical analysis: what was working well and what they needed to do better. It's becoming a common sight during their matches these days and a sign of how the mentorship is now evolving into a partnership.

Hello everyone and welcome to our continued live coverage of Indian badminton. Today, we are looking forward to yet another final featuring, of course, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as they take on world No 1 Seo Seung Jae and Kim Won Ho in Shenzhen at the China Masters, a Super 750 tournament.

This is Satwik-Chirag's second straight final in two weeks as they have hit an upturn in form, building on a memorable run at the Paris World Championships where they won bronze.

The match is expected to now start around 2.30 pm IST.