Indian badminton sensation Lakshya Sen came agonizingly close to winning the Hong Kong Open 2025 after going down in a straight-game loss to Chinese Li Shi Feng during the men’s singles final on September 14.
The nail-biting encounter was sealed with a 21-15, 21-12 scoreline in the Chinese shuttler’s favor. The competition took barely more than 45 minutes, as Li edged out Sen based on better control and court coverage to deprive the Indian of his maiden title in the year.
Lakshya Sen’s Run Ends in Silver
Lakshya Sen battled through tough conditions to reach the final of the Hong Kong Open 2025, despite having one. He did lose the title match against Li Shi Feng, but reaching the finals in of itself, and with respect to the draw he had in the previous rounds, was a much better accomplishment. Nevertheless, the title match was, rather disappointingly, quite one-sided, as Li Shi Feng was in control from the start.
With this victory, China made history as they became the first country in the Open Era to sweep the five titles (Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles) at the Hong Kong Open.
Men’s Doubles Final: Satwik-Chirag Fall Short Against Chinese Pair
India’s No. 1 men’s doubles combination, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, also had to be content with a runner-up finish after losing a thriller three-game final against China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
Final Score:
Game 1: 21-19 (India)
Game 2: 14-21 (China)
Game 3: 17-21 (China)
The Indian pair had a good beginning, clinching the opening game with an exciting comeback. But the Chinese sixth seeds redeemed themselves resoundingly, displaying tactical superiority in the second and third games to claim the Hong Kong Open 2025 men’s doubles title.
Satwik-Chirag Reach First Final Since Thailand Open 2024
This was Satwik and Chirag’s first final since winning the Thailand Open in May 2024. In the semi-final, they had a commanding performance, dispatching the Chinese Taipei duo of Chen Cheng Kuan and Lin Bing-wei in just 38 minutes, 21-17, 21-15.
The Indian duo defeated Liang and Wang earlier in the World Championships 2024 Round of 16, but this time, after learning their lesson, the Chinese duo stuck to their game plan well in the final.
India Finishes as Runners-up at Hong Kong Open 2025
India’s journey at the Hong Kong Open 2025 came to an agonizing conclusion with Lakshya Sen falling short in the men’s singles and the Satwik-Chirag duo finishing second-best in the men’s doubles.
What’s Next for Lakshya Sen and Team India?
With Paris 2024 Olympics now in the past and the 2026 season to come.
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