Satwik-Chirag to lead India in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Fresh from their World Championships bronze medal, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will once again spearhead India’s challenge at the Hong Kong Super 500 badminton tournament, beginning here on Tuesday.

The world No. 3 duo, who produced a superlative show in Paris to clinch their second Worlds bronze, have been India’s most consistent performers this season with several semifinal finishes on the BWF Tour, including events in India, Malaysia, China and Singapore.

The eighth seeds will open their campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who showed glimpses of her prime form at the Worlds with a demolition of China’s Wang Zhi Yi before falling in the quarterfinals, will look to build on that performance when she faces Denmark’s Line Christophersen in the opener.

US Open champion Ayush Shetty, one of the rising stars this year, has a tough first-round clash against China’s Lu Guang Zu.