India’s Top Badminton Stars Eye Redemption at China Open Before World Championships

India’s leading badminton players will look to find form and rhythm at the China Open Super 1000 tournament in Changzhou, beginning Tuesday, as they gear up for the all-important World Championships in Paris next month.

The spotlight will be on men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently ranked world No. 15. The duo has had a stop-start season, reaching three semifinals, including the Malaysia and India Open in January, but injuries to both players disrupted their momentum. 

Satwik’s health concerns and Chirag’s back injury kept them off the court for several weeks. With the China Open being the last major tournament before the World Championships (August 25–31), the pair will be eager to regain sharpness. They begin their campaign against Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura.

“The China Open is crucial — not just for ranking points but to build rhythm and confidence ahead of Paris,” said a national team official familiar with the preparations.

In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will hope to turn their seasons around. Lakshya, ranked 18th, has shown only brief flashes of his potential this year, with his best result being a quarterfinal finish at the All England. Plagued by shoulder, ankle, and back issues, the 23-year-old has struggled for consistency. He starts against China’s fifth seed Li Shi Feng.

Prannoy, once a top-10 player and winner of World Championships and Asian Games bronze medals in 2023, is now ranked 35th. He missed the Japan Open but is returning to competition against Japan’s Koki Watanabe.

In women’s singles, PV Sindhu faces growing pressure to deliver. The former world champion, now ranked 16, has suffered five first-round exits this year. Despite undergoing intensive training under Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, her quarterfinal run at the India Open remains her only highlight in 2024. She opens her China Open campaign against Japan’s sixth seed and rising star, 18-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki.

Among the younger contingent, Unnati Hooda — who reached the Taipei Open semifinals earlier this year — will face Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, while Anupama Upadhyaya meets Lin Hsiang Ti of Chinese Taipei.

India also has representation in women’s doubles with Kavipriya Selvam–Simran Singhi, the Panda sisters Rutaparna and Swetaparna, and Amrutha Pramuthesh–Sonali Singh. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will compete in mixed doubles.

With the World Championships looming, Indian shuttlers have a vital opportunity this week to fine-tune their game and gain much-needed momentum.