Shenzhen
India’s leading men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, are set to make a comeback at the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament starting today. The duo has been out of action since the Paris Olympics due to Satwik’s shoulder injury.
Once ranked world number one, Satwik and Chirag missed several key tournaments, including the Arctic Open, Denmark Open, and China Open. After a long recovery, the Asian Games gold medallists are eager to reclaim their form. Without a coach since Mathias Boe’s departure in August, the pair faces a challenging first-round match against Yang Po-Hsuan and Lee Jhe-Huei of Chinese Taipei.
In singles, PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are aiming to bounce back after a string of disappointing performances. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, begins her campaign against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. She holds a narrow 5-4 lead in their head-to-head record but has struggled with consistency.
Lakshya Sen, who faced early exits at recent tournaments, will compete against Malaysia’s seventh seed Lee Zii Jia. Despite showing potential, the 23-year-old continues to grapple with mental toughness since his close loss at the Tokyo Olympics.
Other Indian players in action include Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, and the women’s doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Aakarshi faces Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, while Malvika meets Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt. Treesa and Gayatri will challenge second-seeded Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China.
