Sen, Satwik-Chirag look to go one better in China

Shenzhen: Fresh from a final’s appearance, Lakshya Sen will look to ride on his new-found momentum, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty too will aim to carry forward their consistency at the China Masters Super 750 beginning here on Tuesday.

Lakshya, who reached his first major final in two years at the just -concluded Hong Kong Open after a prolonged spell of poor form and fitness issues, opens against France’s Toma Junior Popov.

The 24-year-old from Almora, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, hasn’t been his best with multiple early exits but he turned it around to make the summit clash.

“I just need to believe in myself more. I need to keep the same from day one what I was doing, the process,” he said.

Eighth seeds Satwiksairaj and Chirag have been India’s most consistent performers this season, with six semifinal finishes, a second World Championships bronze and a runner-up effort at Hong Kong last week. They are still chasing their first crown of 2025, will start against Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.

It was their first final in 16 months, and while the Indians fell short, the performance underlined progress as they prepare to once again challenge the world’s top pairs.

“I think the way we are playing, we are up right there. It’s just a matter of time and we should believe in ourselves,” Satwiksairaj said on Sunday.

Youngster Ayush Shetty, who shocked Japan’s Kodai Naraoka last week, will look for another strong run when he faces sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. Ayush had beaten the veteran en route to his maiden BWF title at the US Open Super 300 last June.

In women’s singles, PV Sindhu will hope to rediscover her top game when she takes on Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen. She had stunned world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi recently. agencies