Dense, Oct 14: Indian doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to convert their impressive run of form into a title when they spearhead the country’s campaign at the $950,000 Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday.
Seeded sixth, the Asian Games champions will open against Scotland’s Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley.
Satwik and Chirag have been India’s standout performers this season, reaching back-to-back finals at the Hong Kong and China Masters Super 750 tournaments. The duo also secured a second world championships bronze in Paris, apart from a string of semifinal finishes.
In men’s singles, world No. 28 Ayush Shetty, who clinched his maiden BWF Super 300 crown at the US Open earlier this year, will face France’s Toma Junior Popov in his opening round.
The 19-year-old reached the Hong Kong Super 500 quarterfinals but has struggled for rhythm in recent weeks, suffering early exits at the Korea and China events and a defeat to Olympic silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn at the Arctic Open.
Lakshya Sen, ranked 19th, will take on Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. The 2021 world championships bronze-medallist had rediscovered form with a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Super 500 in September, ending a lean spell since his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.
However, defeats to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and Vitidsarn in recent outings have underlined the need for consistency.
In women’s singles, young Anmol Kharb, who made her maiden Super 500 semifinal appearance at Arctic Open last week, will face seventh seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in her opening match.
In men’s doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K have drawn Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han.
Among women’s pairs, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will meet Scotland’s Julie MacPherson and Ciara Torrance, while Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will face Bulgaria’s Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva.
In mixed doubles, the pairs of Mohit and Lakshita Jaglan, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani, and Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will look to make a mark.