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Lakshya’s match against former world junior bronze medallist Ayush Shetty means only three of the four Indian men’s singles players can advance to the second round.
Lakshya Sen. (PTI)
Indian badminton players face a challenging draw on home turf as 2022 champion Lakshya Sen is set for an all-Indian clash against rising star Ayush Shetty. Meanwhile, former world champion PV Sindhu will compete against Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen in the opening round of the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 750 badminton tournament, scheduled from January 13-18 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The India Open, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the HSBC BWF World Tour, has moved from the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium to a larger multi-purpose hall within the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex. This will give players the chance to adapt to the conditions ahead of the BWF World Championships to be held at the same venue in August later this year.
For Indian players, the draw is tough. Lakshya’s match against former world junior bronze medallist Ayush Shetty means only three of the four Indian men’s singles players can advance to the second round. The winner of this clash will likely face fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei or Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto.
In other Indian singles contests, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will face Lin Chun-Yi, world No. 12 and a member of Taipei’s 2024 Thomas Cup bronze-winning team. A potential second-round match could see him against Christo Popov, who made history by being the first French player to win the BWF World Tour Finals men’s singles title last month. H S Prannoy, who entered the main draw following the withdrawal of Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, will start his campaign against last edition’s finalist Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong.
In women’s singles, PV Sindhu will face Nguyen, against whom she lost both previous matches. Nguyen, ranked 22 in the world, showed significant improvement last year. If Sindhu advances, she could meet second seed Wang Zhi Yi or her Chinese teammate Gao Fang Jie in the second round.
Malvika Bansod, returning from a long injury break and playing with her protected ranking, will face Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei in the first round.
In doubles, former champions Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have a relatively easy opener against USA’s Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith. They may face their first significant challenge in the quarter-finals against Chinese eighth seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi.
Two-time All-England semifinalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will play Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai of Thailand, with a potential second-round match against Chinese seventh seeds Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.
In other notable first-round matches, top seed An Se Young will play former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, while third seed Akane Yamaguchi will compete against compatriot Riko Gunji.
First round opponents of Indian players
Men’s singles
2022 winner Lakshya Sen vs Ayush Shetty
Kidambi Srikanth vs Lin Chun-Yi (TPE) no 12 part of 2024 Thomas cup bronze winning team
HS Prannoy vs Lee Cheuk Yiu (HKG) no 16 last edition finalist
Women’s singles
Malvika Bansod vs Pai Yu Po (TPE)
PV Sindhu vs Thuy Linh Nguyen (VIE) 2-2 has lost both the matches in 2025
Men’s doubles
Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun vs Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi (MAS)
Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy vs Chen Zhi Yi/Presley Smith (USA)
Women’s doubles
Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand vs Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn/Sukitta Suwachai (THA)
Shruti Mishra/Priya Konjengbam vs Lui Lok Lok/Tsang Hiu Yan (HKG)
Rutuparna Panda/Swetparna Panda vs Nanako Hara/Riko Kiyose (JPN)
Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi vs 2-Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (MAS)
Gayatri Rawat/Mansa Rawat vs 4-Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian (CHN)
Mixed Doubles
Rohan Kapoor/G Ruthvika Shivani vs Marvin Seidel/Thuc Phuong Nguyen (GER)
Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh vs Yuichi Shimogami/Sayaka Hobara (JPN)
Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto vs Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA)
Dhruv Rawat/Maneesha K vs Hiroki Midorikawa/ Nami Matsuyama (JPN)
January 07, 2026, 14:28 IST
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