Satwik’s injury stopped Sat-Chi from opening days in Indonesia after the title drought ended

India’s top doubles pair of Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty retired midway through their first-round match at the Indonesia Open, the prestigious Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta. The Indian pair trailed Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai of Malaysia 6-11 when Satwik stopped the match and pointed to his right shoulder. It was the first time the world number four had withdrawn due to injury this season.

“Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026 due to an injury to the former. The pair will now focus on recovery and rehabilitation in preparation for important tournaments ahead. We wish Satwik a speedy recovery and look forward to the duo’s return to the court soon,” BAI said in a statement.

Satwik and Chirag headed to the Indonesia Open just two days after winning the Singapore Open. On Sunday, Satwik and Chirag defeated Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Sohibul Fikri in a grueling three-setter that lasted one hour and 13 minutes. It was their first tour title in almost two years, coming a week after reaching the Thailand Open final.

The badminton circuit is so grueling that players, even the biggest names, rarely get a break as they hop from town to town for tournaments. Satwik and Chirag have been busy throughout the ongoing Asian leg, but it will be important for the pair to focus on their recovery, especially in preparation for the World Cup to be hosted by Delhi in August and the Asian Games.

Only on Monday, Satwik spoke about the importance of respecting the body, striving to improve, finding peak form and managing injury concerns.

“Injury is not something that only I have; nobody’s career is perfect all the time. I actually realized that you should respect your body,” he said during a media interview after his Singapore Open triumph.

“Especially with my style of play being more attacking, once in a while you miss the bigger tournaments. You have to brush it off, focus, get your 100 percent in the bigger tournaments, peak at the right time and manage your body.”

“I think it’s been pretty good since the Olympics. I’m handling it pretty well and getting in shape. There’s been a few hiccups here and there, but that’s OK.”

Meanwhile, Rohan Kapoor and Shivani Ruthvika Gadde stunned world number 20 Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang of Chinese Taipei in the first round of mixed doubles. They secured a 21-14, 21-14 victory and stormed into the second round.

Later in the day, the likes of Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy will launch their campaigns in Jakarta.

It was a mixed day for India on Tuesday, with PV Sindhu the only singles shuttler to advance to the second round. Both Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth were shown the door in the opening round of the prestigious tournament.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

03 Jun 2026 14:29 IST