Kuala Lumpur: India’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim for a strong result, Lakshya Sen will look to build on his recent form and HS Prannoy will hope to shake off rust after a lengthy break at the season-opening Malaysia Open Super 1000 starting here on Tuesday.
For Satwiksairaj and Chirag, seeded seventh, this $1.45 million event marks the start of a new season like it did in 2024.
Last year, although they narrowly missed out on the title, the pairing went on to reach three more finals, winning two of them.
The Asian Games gold medallists were in exceptional form and will be hoping to replicate that success this year. Having reunited with Malaysian coach Kim Tan Her, the former world No. 1 pair is determined to go the distance, but they face a tough challenge ahead.
The high calibre of opponents in their draw will make the path to victory anything but easy.
The Indians will open their campaign against the pair of Ming Che Lu and Tang Kai Wei from Chinese Taipei.
In the men’s singles, Lakshya will look to carry forward his recent success after ending a long title drought with a victory at the Syed Modi International Super 300 and a third-place finish at the King Cup International last month.
These wins have given him much-needed confidence, and he will aim to make a deep run in the Super 1000 event.
Prannoy, on the other hand, will be returning to action after a five-month hiatus following his pre-quarterfinals exit at the Paris Olympics. The 32-year-old, who had to take a break due to chikungunya and to regain his fitness, will be hoping to shake off any rust.
His first test will be against Canada’s Brian Yang in the opening round.
Priyanshu Rajawat, who has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled with consistency, will face seventh-seeded Chinese player Li Shi Feng in his opening match.
In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu will be missing from the tournament, having recently got married. In her absence, other Indian players – Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya will look to make a mark.
In the women’s doubles, the Indian duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded sixth, will look to carry the momentum from a maiden Super 300 title in Lucknow and its participation in the season-ending BWF World
Tour Finals.
Eighth seeds Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, who retained the Guwahati Masters Super 100 title, will take on Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo and Chiharu Shida in their first match.