NEW DELHI: The Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament is set to kick off in Tokyo on Tuesday, with the spotlight on the talented Indian doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who recently secured victory at the Korea Open.
The Commonwealth Games-winning duo showcased their prowess by defeating the world No. 1 pair in a hard-fought final, extending their winning streak to an impressive 10 matches.
Having won multiple titles this year, including the Swiss Open, Asian Championships, and Indonesia Open, they are in the form of their careers and are seeded third in the tournament. Their first-round match will be against Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia.
However, the focus will also be on the struggling performances of PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy. Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion, has been experiencing a dip in form since her injury rehab.
Her ranking has dropped to world No. 17, and she has faced first-round exits in six out of 12 BWF World Tour events this year. Despite having a high-profile new coach in Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, Sindhu has been making errors and struggling to finish points even against lower-ranked opponents.
She will need to work on her fast and attacking game to regain her competitive edge against her rivals. In the opening round, she will face Zhang Yi Man, whom she defeated in the Malaysian Open quarters earlier in the year.
Should Sindhu advance to the next round, she is likely to face her nemesis, Tai Tzu Ying, who has defeated her nine times in a row in their recent encounters. Tai Tzu Ying holds a dominant 19-5 win-loss record against Sindhu, making it a tough challenge for the Indian player.
On the other hand, Prannoy, who recently won his first BWF World Tour title at the Malaysia Masters, remains India's top-ranked player but has dropped two spots to 10th. He is seeded eighth in the tournament and will face unseeded Li Shi Feng of China in his first-round match.
As the Tokyo tournament unfolds, badminton enthusiasts will be eagerly watching to see if Satwik-Chirag can continue their winning streak and if Sindhu and Prannoy can find their form to make an impact in the competition.
Kidambi Srikanth is up against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
If they overcome their respective opening round hurdles, Prannoy and Srikanth will clash in the battle for the quarterfinals where either of the them may face the toughest test, up against top-seeded Viktor Axelsen.
The tournament will also mark the return of ace youngster Lakshya Sen, who took a break and skipped Korea Open after winning the Canada Open earlier this month.
Upcoming youngster Priyanshu Rajawat and Sen are up against each other in an all-Indian opening round clash.
Should Sen get past Rajawat, he may face a tough test in second-seeded Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the next round.
Malavika Bansod is pitted against local challenger Aya Ohori, while Aakarshi Kashyap will face top-seeded Akene Yamaguchi in the women's singles opening round.
Among other Indians in the fray, M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will square up against fourth seeded Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the men's doubles.
In the women's doubles, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medal winning pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take on local favourties Sayaka Hobara and Yui Suizu.
(With PTI inputs)
