The draw for the prestigious India Open Super 750 badminton tournament has set the stage for a thrilling start, headlined by a high-profile all-Indian clash in the men's singles. The event, which begins next Tuesday at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, will see former champion Lakshya Sen take on the promising Ayush Shetty in a marquee first-round encounter.
Blockbuster Opening: Sen vs Shetty and Sindhu's Challenge
Continuing a recent tradition at the tournament, the men's singles draw has pitted two Indian talents against each other right from the round of 32. Lakshya Sen, the 2022 winner, will have to be at his best to counter the rising star Ayush Shetty. The winner of this high-stakes Indian duel will face an even tougher challenge in the second round, taking on either the fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei or Japan's Kenta Nishimoto.
In the women's singles, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu has been handed a tricky opener against Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen. This matchup carries extra weight as Nguyen has proven to be a thorn in Sindhu's side recently, having defeated the Indian star in both their meetings last year. Sindhu will be keen to break this losing streak and advance. A victory would likely set up a daunting second-round clash against the tournament's second seed, China's Wang Zhi Yi, whom Sindhu memorably beat at the World Championships in Paris last year.
Other Indian Contenders in the Fray
The Indian challenge extends across multiple categories. In men's singles, former world number one Kidambi Srikanth will open his campaign against world number 12 Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei. A win could see him face France's in-form Christo Popov, the recent BWF World Tour Finals champion. HS Prannoy, who entered the main draw following the withdrawal of Denmark's Anders Antonsen, will start against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu, the finalist from the last edition.
In women's singles, Malvika Bansod makes a welcome return from a long injury layoff, using her protected ranking to enter. She faces Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei in the first round. Following updated entry lists, she remains the only other Indian in the women's singles draw after Unnati Hooda's withdrawal.
Doubles Draw Analysis and Tournament Significance
The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, former champions here, have a relatively comfortable opener against the American duo of Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith. Their first major test is projected in the quarterfinals, where they could meet Chinese eighth seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi—the pair that ended their World Championships run last year.
In women's doubles, the experienced Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will begin against Thailand's Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai. A potential second-round encounter awaits against the Chinese seventh seeds, Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.
This year's India Open holds added significance as it has been upgraded to a Super 750 event since 2023 and has moved to a bigger hall within the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex. This venue will also serve as a crucial testing ground for players ahead of the BWF World Championships, scheduled to be held in India in August later this year.
The tournament promises intense action from the outset, with other global highlights including a first-round match between top seed An Se Young and former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, and a clash between Japanese compatriots Akane Yamaguchi and Riko Gunji.
