Satwik-Chirag lead charge as Indian shuttlers eye glory in Indonesia

The Hindu

3 days ago

Former champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to keep their comeback story on track as they spearhead India's challenge at the USD 1,450,000 Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, beginning on Tuesday.
The former world No. 1 pair, who returned to action after regaining fitness with a creditable semifinal finish at the Singapore Open last week, will be eager to go the distance this week and reclaim the trophy they won in 2023.
Currently ranked 27th, Satwik and Chirag are expected to inch closer to the top 20 following their exploits in Singapore. They will open their campaign against the Indonesian duo of Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana at the Istora Senayan arena, the spiritual home of badminton.
The conditions at Istora suit the Indians and a win could set up a potential clash with their nemesis, Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who ended their run last week and enjoy a dominant record against the Indian duo.
The two had missed the last few weeks of action due to Satwik's health issues and Chirag's lingering back injury, which took time to heal.
However, the star pair displayed their trademark brilliance last week when they outclassed the world No. 1 Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin with a tactical masterclass en route to the semifinals.
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Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will also aim for a deep run following a string of underwhelming performances this year.
The 29-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during training in Guwahati in February, which ruled her out of the Asia Team Championships. Since returning, she has lost matches to players such as Thuy Linh Nguyen, Putri Kusuma Wardani, and Kim Ga Eun to make early exit from tournaments.
Last week, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion showed glimpses of her former self before narrowly going down to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China in the second round.
With new Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama in her corner, Sindhu will hope to rediscover her rhythm when she faces a familiar foe in former world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
The duo has shared several nail-biting encounters over the years, with a close head-to-head record reflecting their fierce rivalry. Tuesday's match promises to be another gripping contest as both players attempt to reclaim their stature in world badminton.
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A win could pit Sindhu, the 2019 World Champion, against Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the second round.
Among others in women's singles, Anupama Upadhyaya will take on Korea's Kim Ga Eun, Rakshitha Sree Ramraj faces Thailand's left-hander Supanida Katethong, while Malvika Bansod meets Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani.
In the men's singles, HS Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, will look to regain form when he takes on Indonesia's Alwi Farhan.
Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, is coming off a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Malaysia tournament last week. The shuttler from Almora has struggled to hit peak form since his semifinal finish at the Paris Olympics and faces a tough opener against world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China.
His PPBA academy-mate Kiran George will continue to test himself against the elite as he begins his campaign against former world champion Loh Kean Yew.
In the women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand—who is also making a slow return from injury—will take on Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
India will also be represented by four pairs in mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Gadde Shivani, Sathish Karunakaran/Aadya Variyath, and Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh.