Macau Open: Satwik-Chirag eye title run

Macau: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to extend their consistent run and grab their maiden title of the season at the Macau Open Super 300, starting Tuesday, as the top Indian shuttlers continue their preparations for next month’s World Championships in Paris.

The Asian Games champions earned yet another semifinal finish at the China Open Super 1000 last week, going down to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. In the men’s singles, former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lakshya Sen will hope to rediscover his touch ahead of the World Championships.

The 23-year-old from Almora has shown glimpses of his potential but has struggled to close out key matches, including narrow losses to Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka, and Shi Yu Qi in recent outings.

Sen opens against Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin.

Meanwhile, HS Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, will look to string together a strong run after a second-round exit at the China

Open.