Expectations are running high as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lead the Indian challenge at the India Open super 750 badminton tournament, commencing on Tuesday.
Eager to secure their first title of the new season, the duo, with an impressive record of six titles in 2023, has been a standout among Indian shuttlers. Their runner-up finish at the Malaysia Super 1000 has added to the anticipation as they aim to shine on home turf.
The memories of the 2022 edition, where Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya Sen claimed titles, fuel hopes that Indian shuttlers can overcome the previous setbacks and showcase their prowess once again.
Satwik and Chirag, having narrowly missed victory in the final in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, are expected to bring their A-game to the India Open, determined to go the distance and prove themselves on the home stage.
“We want to do well in our home country next week, so we don’t want to relax with this, we are more hungry and next week we want to do well in front of our home crowd,” Satwik said on Sunday.
Second seeds Satwik and Chirag, who were forced to pull out ahead of the second round last year due to an injury suffered by the former, will face world No. 25 Fang-Jen Lee and Fang-Chih Lee of Taipei in their opening round.
Chirag added: “We are not done yet. India Open is coming up next week and we want to go one better.”
As Satwik-Chirag take the spotlight in men’s doubles, the focus in the men’s singles category at the India Open will be on HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth , especially with the absence of two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu due to a knee injury.
World No. 8 Prannoy and Lakshya, who faced challenges in Malaysia, aim to bounce back and regain their form swiftly in the upcoming tournament. Srikanth, having secured a confidence-boosting victory over Jonatan Christie in the previous week, enters the competition with renewed assurance.
Prannoy and Sen, both looking for redemption after early exits in Kuala Lumpur, are set to begin their campaign against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei and Priyanshu Rajawat, respectively, hoping for a strong start in the India Open.
“India Open has always been special. Since 2012, I have been playing in this tournament and I have a lot of good memories. Having a 750 stature is big for Indian badminton as fans can now see top players perform closely. So there is a lot of hunger to go out there and win this tournament,” said Prannoy, who won the world championships and Asian Games bronze medals in 2023.
Two-way race for Olympic qualification Former world No. 1 and 2021 World silver medallist, Kidambi Srikanth, displayed good form in the Malaysia Open first round last week. After winning the India Open in 2015, Srikanth aims to make a deep run in the tournament, considering its significance for Olympic qualification.
Srikanth, currently ranked 24th, is in a two-way race with Lakshya Sen (ranked 17th) for the second spot in Olympic qualification, with HS Prannoy (ranked eighth) leading the pack.
In women’s doubles, the Olympic qualification race is intense. The new pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, along with Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, both ranked 14th in Olympic Games qualification, are in contention.
Ashwini-Tanisha, who reached three successive finals in December and won one at the Guwahati Masters, reached the second round in Malaysia and will face the world No. 10 Thai duo of Rawinda Prajongjai and Jongkolphan Kititharakul.
Treesa and Gayatri are set to challenge the fourth-seeded Japanese pair, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, as they strive to make their mark in the Olympic qualification race.
Viktor Axelsen pulls out
Denmark’s world No.1 shuttler Viktor Axelsen has pulled out of the India Open after falling sick while playing in the Malaysia Open.
“After my match on Saturday, I’ve been lying in bed ill and after talking with the medical team present here in Malaysia, I’ve been advised to get an additional checkup,” wrote Axelsen, who had lost in the semifinal to China’s Shi Yuqi last week, on ‘X’.
“That means that I unfortunately won’t be able to travel and be present at the India Open this year, which is rather disappointing as it has been a tournament where I’ve loved to play in front of the Indian badminton fans.”
The last-minute withdrawal of the top-seeded Axelsen will only brighten the chances of Prannoy, Lakshya and Priyanshu — one of whom was likely to run into him in the quarterfinals.