Singapore, May 26:
India’s top shuttlers Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will look to regain consistency and end their title drought when they spearhead the country’s challenge at the USD 1,000,000 Singapore Open Super 750 tournament beginning here on Tuesday.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, who won the Australia Open last November, will hope to bounce back from last week’s first-round exit and make a deep run when he opens his campaign against China’s Lu Guang Zu. He had come close to winning a title at the All England Championships before finishing runner-up.
In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, who reached the quarterfinals at the Thailand Open, will begin her campaign against Indonesia’s fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani.
The Indian has faced significant challenges maintaining her elite form following injuries in 2025, leading to a period of inconsistency and early exits in various BWF World Tour events.
Young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty, who finished runner-up at the Asian Championships and played a key role in India’s bronze medal-winning Thomas Cup campaign, will take on Canada’s Victor Lai, last year’s World Championships bronze medallist.
The focus will also be on India’s two experienced campaigners, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, both 33, as they seek to rediscover consistency.
Former world No. 1 Srikanth will once again face local favourite Loh Kean Yew, the 2021 world champion whom he had defeated at the Thailand Open earlier this month.
Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, faces a difficult opening-round contest against Indonesia’s fifth seed Jonatan Christie.
World No. 22 Unnati Hooda, winner of the Polish Open earlier this year, faces a tough opener against eighth-seeded Japanese shuttler Tomoka Miyazaki, a former junior world champion.
Malvika Bansod, returning after recovering from an ACL injury, will meet Chinese Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Ti.
In men’s doubles, fourth-seeded Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who reached the final at the Thailand Open Super 500, will open against the American duo of Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
While Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun will face Japan’s seventh-seeded combination of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
Among the women’s doubles pairs, India’s Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will meet Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez.
The Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, will take on Thailand’s Phattharin Aiamvareesrisakul and Sarisa Janpeng.