Shenzhen (China), Nov 18: India’s premier men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will make their highly-anticipated return to action at the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament, which kicks off here on Tuesday. The duo is returning to competition after a disappointing Paris Olympics campaign.
The former world number one pair had been sidelined from competitive action following Satwik’s shoulder injury after the Olympics, leading them to miss several high-profile tournaments, including the Arctic Open, Denmark Open, and China Open. With Satwik recovering from his injury, the pair will now aim to regain their momentum. However, they have faced a setback as they have been without a coach since Mathias Boe’s departure in August.
Satwik and Chirag, who were runners-up in the previous editions of the China Masters, will begin their campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Lee Jhe-Huei in the opening round.
Elsewhere, P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will look to overcome their recent struggles and aim for improved performances as they continue their quest for consistency. Both players, who took a long break after their campaigns at the Paris Games, have struggled to regain their best form since the Olympics.
Since his semifinal loss in Paris, Lakshya has faced early exits at the Arctic Open Super 500 and Denmark Open, and the trend continued last week when the young shuttler suffered another first-round exit at the Kumamoto Masters Japan. He will face seventh-seeded Malaysian Lee Zii Jia in his opening match.
The 23-year-old Lakshya has the potential to beat any opponent, but his mental toughness has come under scrutiny after his heartbreaking near-miss at the Tokyo Olympics, where he slipped from a medal position in a dramatic loss.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu also faced challenges, initially recovering from a shock opening-round loss to Canada’s Michelle Li in Finland, before reaching the quarterfinals in Odense. However, Li continued to be a hurdle, defeating Sindhu in the round of 16 last week. The unseeded Indian will begin her campaign against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong, whom she leads 5-4 in their head-to-head record.
In the women’s singles event, promising young talents Aakarshi Kashyap and Malvika Bansod will also compete. Aakarshi will face Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in her opening match, while Malvika will take on Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt in the first round.
In women’s doubles, the team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who suffered a first-round exit from the Kumamoto Masters Japan, will be in action. The Indian duo will face the second-seeded Chinese combination of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
B Sumeeth Reddy will also partner Sikki Reddy in the mixed doubles event, continuing India’s strong presence at the tournament.
The China Masters Super 750 is an important event for these players as they aim to regain their form and prepare for upcoming challenges in the international badminton circuit.
