India’s leading shuttlers Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will aim to rediscover form and end their title drought as they lead the country’s challenge at the USD 1 million Singapore Open, which begins on Tuesday.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, who claimed the Australia Open title last November, will look to recover from his opening-round exit last week when he begins his campaign against China’s Lu Guang Zu. The Indian had earlier come close to securing a major title at the All England Championships, where he finished runner-up.
In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, who reached the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open, will start against Indonesia’s fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani. Sindhu has struggled for consistency since suffering injuries in 2025, resulting in several early exits on the BWF World Tour.
Promising youngster Ayush Shetty, runner-up at the Asian Championships and a key member of India’s bronze medal-winning Thomas Cup team, will face Canada’s Victor Lai, who won bronze at last year’s World Championships.
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Attention will also be on experienced Indian players Kidambi Srikanth and H. S. Prannoy, both seeking to regain rhythm and consistency. Former world No. 1 Srikanth will once again meet Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, the 2021 world champion whom he defeated earlier this month at the Thailand Open.
Prannoy, bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, faces a challenging opener against Indonesia’s fifth seed Jonatan Christie.
World No. 22 Unnati Hooda, who won the Polish Open this year, has been drawn against Japan’s eighth seed Tomoka Miyazaki, a former junior world champion. Malvika Bansod, making a comeback after recovering from an ACL injury, will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Ti.
In men’s doubles, India’s fourth-seeded pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, finalists at the Thailand Open Super 500, will begin against the American combination of Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith. Meanwhile, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun will face Japan’s seventh-seeded duo Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
In women’s doubles, India’s Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will meet Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez. The Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, are set to play Thailand’s Phattharin Aiamvareesrisakul and Sarisa Janpeng in the opening round.
Another Indian pair, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam, will face Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.
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