Satwik-Chirag eye strong start at China Open ahead of World Championships
India's top men's doubles duo,
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
and
Chirag Shetty
, will look to fine-tune their form and build momentum for the upcoming
BWF World Championships
when they step onto the court at the China Open Super 1000, starting Tuesday.
The China Open is the final major tournament before the World Championships, which are set to take place in Paris from August 25 to 31. With the global event looming, players will be eager to gain confidence and rhythm in this high-stakes USD 2 million tournament.
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Currently ranked World No. 15, Satwik and Chirag have made three semifinal appearances this season — at the Malaysia and India Opens in January and more recently at the Singapore Open.
Their campaign, however, has been disrupted by fitness setbacks: Satwik's health concerns and Chirag's back injury sidelined the pair for several weeks.
Since returning to action, they've shown glimpses of their best, reaching the quarters at the Indonesia Open. However, they suffered a blow at last week's Japan Open, losing to Chinese Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. The former world No.
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1 duo will now aim to bounce back strongly when they open their campaign against Japan's Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura.
In men's singles, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will be hoping to rediscover consistency.
World No. 18 Lakshya has had a mixed season, with a quarterfinal at the All England being his best result so far. The 23-year-old has battled a series of injuries — shoulder, ankle, and back — and while he pushed World No.
3 Shi Yu Qi to three games in Indonesia, he suffered a second-round exit in Tokyo against Japan's Kodai Naraoka. He begins his China Open campaign against fifth seed Li Shi Feng of China.
Veteran Prannoy, who clinched bronze medals at both the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, has slipped to World No. 35. Having skipped the Japan Open, he returns to face Japan's Koki Watanabe in the first round.
In women's singles, PV Sindhu will be desperate to turn around a disappointing season.
The former world champion, now ranked 16th, has only managed a quarterfinal finish at the India Open. Despite six months of training under Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, Sindhu has struggled with form and early exits — including a first-round loss to Korea's Sim Yu Jin last week, her fifth opening-round defeat this year.
Sindhu faces a stern test in her opener against Japan's sixth seed and former junior world champion Tomoka Miyazaki, 18.
Rising star Unnati Hooda, a Taipei Open semifinalist earlier this year, will take on Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in her opening match. Anupama Upadhyaya faces Lin Hsiang Ti of Chinese Taipei.
In women's doubles, India will be represented by Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi, the Panda sisters Rutaparna and Swetaparna, and the duo of Amrutha Pramuthesh and Sonali Singh.
Meanwhile, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will feature in the mixed doubles draw.
With the World Championships just around the corner, Indian shuttlers will be keen to make a statement in Changzhou — and gain crucial momentum on the road to Paris.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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