For over a year, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy had been stuck in a loop – six semifinals, six exits.

Their 2024 Thailand Open title was their last taste of a final, and since then, the finish line always seemed just out of reach.

But on Saturday at LI-NING Hong Kong Open 2025, the eighth seeds finally broke the pattern. With a 21-17 21-15 win over Chen Cheng Kuan and Lin Bing, they booked their place in the title match, exorcising ghosts of past early exits on the island.

“Final, finally. We’ve been constantly playing semifinals and we really wanted to make the final,” Shetty said. “It’s been a while so we are extremely happy.”

Much like Singapore, Hong Kong had long been choppy waters for the world No.9 Indians. But 2025 feels like the year the tide finally turns.

“Hong Kong has never been good for us,” Rankireddy admitted. “Pre-COVID, we always lost in the first round. A bit like our story in Singapore but I felt this time we could change it around.”

Their World Championships run last month had hinted at a resurgence. Though they missed the final, they beat higher-seeded Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang and Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik en route to the last four.

“Although we would have loved to play the final, the pairs we beat with the confidence we had going to Paris exceeded our expectations,” said Shetty.

Now, with one more match to go, Shetty and Rankireddy stand on the brink of a first title in 15 months – not just chasing victory but rewriting the narrative in arenas that once echoed only disappointment.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Rankireddy/Shetty take on Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, the Chinese themselves back in a final after half a year.
• Likewise, Rankireddy/Shetty’s countryman Lakshya Sen will contest his first title match in 10 months – against second seed Li Shi Feng – after beating Chou Tien Chen 23-21 22-20.
• Han Yue will be the only defending champion in the finals after Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan lost to Han’s compatriots Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian. Viktor Axelsen and Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin bowed out earlier in the week.

→ Results (Semifinals)

→ Order of play (Finals)