With India’s singles stars still seeking rhythm, the spotlight is on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as the top-seeded men’s doubles pair aims for its first title of the season at the Australian Open Super 500, starting Tuesday.
The Asian Games champions have been India’s bright spots this year, adding a second World Championships bronze and back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750 to their résumé. Once world No. 1 for 18 weeks, the duo had slipped to No. 27 in May but have since rebounded to No. 3. They will open against Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei.
“We are eager to continue the momentum ahead of the World Tour Finals,” Satwik said.
In singles, India’s top shuttlers, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, aim to regain consistency after intermittent injuries and lean patches. Lakshya, 24, appeared to rediscover form with a final appearance at the Hong Kong Open following a string of disappointing results since finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics. Seeded seventh, he opens against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang.
Also read: Satwik-Chirag seek third crown at French Open badminton
Prannoy, 33, a 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist, has fond memories of the Australian Open, finishing runner-up last year. Returning from injury, he defeated Malaysia’s Jun Hao Leong before losing to Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke last week. He faces Canada’s Brian Yang in the opening round.
Veteran Kidambi Srikanth takes on fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi, while US Open champion Ayush Shetty meets Malaysia’s Justin Hoh. Kiran George faces sixth seed Kenta Nishimoto, and Tharun Mannepalli opens against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen in pursuit of a breakthrough.
In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap is the lone Indian in the draw and faces top seed and Olympic champion An Se Young in a challenging opener. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand return in women’s doubles against fourth seeds Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun of Chinese Taipei. In mixed doubles, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan meet Canada’s Nyl Yakura and Crystal Lai.
India’s medal hopes largely rest on Satwik-Chirag, while the singles contingent seeks to turn flashes of brilliance into consistency as the Super 500 kicks off Down Under.
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