For years, Singapore had been a bit of a Bermuda Triangle for Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

The skyline stayed the same, the courts gleamed under the lights, but somehow, every time they walked in with hopes higher than the Marina Bay Sands, they left with baggage heavier than their racket bags.

In 2017, when they were just wide-eyed youngsters, still trying to understand the rhythm of elite badminton, they lost in the qualifiers.

In 2018, they came back as No.2 seeds but the second round was as far as they’d go. Fast forward to 2024, they were world No.1s, with a bronze medal from the World Championships in their trophy case. First round exit.

So when they landed in Singapore in 2025 as world No.27s, with just four tournaments behind them all season – Rankireddy still quietly nursing the heartbreak of his father’s passing in February and Shetty wondering if his back would allow him to jump for a smash – they weren’t exactly on anyone’s list of semifinal contenders.

Least of all, theirs.

“Every win is history for us because it’s Singapore,” Shetty said, half-grinning, half-shrugging in disbelief after beating Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin 21-17 21-15 on Friday. “We didn’t know if we’d even play here. We trained for about 10 days in two months. I wasn’t sure my back would hold up. Honestly, it’s amazing we are playing the way we are.”

Semifinalists not by fluke but by toppling world No.1s. And doing it with clarity, precision and control. Every move, thought through.

“We were well prepared,” said Rankireddy. “We are focusing more on our strategy than the opponents’. We want to play our A game and see what they come up with. We are no longer thinking too much about the opponents.”

Now, a rematch awaits. Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, the Malaysian duo who’d ended their Olympic dream in Paris quarterfinals last year.

But this time they aren’t carrying the burden of rankings or expectations. Perhaps that’s what’s made their smashes sharper, their lifts more deceptive, their footwork more instinctive.

“We’ve been wanting to get back on court for the longest time and that’s probably the main reason we’ve been able to play the way we have,” said Shetty.

Whatever clicked, it’s working. Singapore, once their nemesis, is finally letting them write their story.