Satwik-Chirag team leads Indian challenge at Singapore Open; Prannoy, Lakshya, Sindhu also in fray

The celebrated pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will make a much-anticipated return to elite competition after shaking off fitness concerns when the duo leads a star-studded Indian challenge at the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament starting here on Tuesday. The former world number one duo last played at the All England Championships in March but withdrew in the second round due to Chirag's back injury. They also pulled out of the Sudirman Cup because of Satwik's health issues.

Now fully fit, the Indian team, which reached the semifinals of Malaysia Open and India Open earlier this year, will open against Malaysia's Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal. By reaching the finals of last week's Malaysia Masters, Kidambi Srikanth managed to lift himself and the overall gloom that had set over Indian badminton in the past few months.

He broke the pattern of India's singles players largely failing to make a deep run in the tournaments week after week for the past few months. Though he won't be competing this week, he will serve as an inspiration for his compatriots as they fight it out at the USD 1,000,000 event.

HS Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist who witnessed the rampaging run of Srikanth at Kuala Lumpur, will look to produce a similarly gritty show when he begins his campaign against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. Pranniy is on a comeback trail after battling chikungunya last year.

The 32-year-old, who has been bogged down by fitness issues and the after-effects of the illness, showed promise against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto last week but fell to Yushi Tanaka in the second round. Lakshya Sen will look to silence doubts about his fitness when he faces Lin Chun-Yi in the opening round.

The 23-year-old from Almora, a 2021 World Championships bronze-medallist, has struggled to find form since reaching the Paris Olympics semifinal. Sen's four first-round exits this season are concerning for a player seen as a future leader of Indian badminton after Srikanth and Prannoy.

Similarly, Priyanshu Rajawat, 23, has tested the patience of Indian fans with six first-round exits. Known for his immaculate hand-eye coordination and attacking style, Rajawat now faces pressure to deliver, but he can take a cue from academy mate Srikanth, who also trains in Hyderabad. Kiran George, 25, has also failed to live up to expectations. After reaching the India Open quarterfinal earlier this year, he has not capitalised on his chances. He opens against China's Weng Hong Yang.

In women's singles, PV Sindhu remains a work in progress. Despite multiple coaching changes, consistent deep runs have eluded the two-time Olympic medallist. The 29-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during training in Guwahati in February, forcing her to miss the Asia Team Championships. Since returning, she has faced early defeats against players such as Thuy Linh Nguyen, Putri Kusuma Wardani, and Kim Gaeun.

Sindhu, a former world champion, will face Canada's Wen Yu Zhang in the first round. Other Indian women’s players face tough draws. Anmol Kharb takes on former Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China, while Aakarshi Kashyap will be up against third seed Han Yue. Malvika Bansod faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong, and Rakshita Ramraj squares off against South Korea's Kim Ga Eun.

Anupama Upadhaya plays Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, while Unnati Hooda will face second seed Wang Zhiyi, the Malaysia Masters champion. India's top-ranked women's doubles pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded eighth, will play Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun. The Mixed doubles pairs -- Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto and Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde -- are also in the fray.