Indian Shuttlers Set Sights on Macau Open Glory as World Championships Loom

As the countdown to the BWF World Championships in Paris intensifies, top Indian shuttlers are aiming to fine-tune their form at the Macau Open Super 300, which begins Tuesday. Headlining the Indian campaign are men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who hope to end their title drought and build on a string of solid performances this season.

Currently ranked world No. 3, Satwik and Chirag enter Macau on the back of yet another semifinal finish at the China Open Super 1000, where they fell to Malaysian pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. The Asian Games champions have consistently reached the latter stages of top-tier events this year — semifinals at the India, Singapore, and Malaysia Opens, and a quarterfinal at the Indonesia Open — but are yet to convert those into a title.

In the men’s singles, Lakshya Sen will be eager to regain momentum. The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist has struggled with close defeats, including narrow losses to Li Shi Feng, Kodai Naraoka, and Shi Yu Qi. Sen, who opens against Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin, will look to sharpen his game ahead of next month’s major challenge in Paris.

Veteran shuttler HS Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, will also aim for a strong showing after an early exit at the China Open. He starts his campaign against a qualifier, hoping to rediscover rhythm and confidence.

Teen sensation Ayush Shetty, fresh off his maiden BWF title at the US Open Super 300, will be another player to watch. Seeded seventh, the 19-year-old takes on Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu Kai in the first round. Meanwhile, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran — recently part of India’s bronze-winning squad at the World University Games — faces Malaysia’s Justin Hoh.

Other men’s singles competitors include Manraj Singh, who faces compatriot Tharun Mannepalli in an all-Indian opener, along with S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, Rithvik Sanjeevi Satish Kumar, and Kiran George.

In the women’s singles, 16-year-old Unnati Hooda carries momentum from her upset win over PV Sindhu at the China Open. She begins against seventh seed Julie Dawall Jakobsen of Denmark. Fellow Indians Rakshita Ramraj, Anupama Upadhyaya, and Aakarshi Kashyap have drawn tough first-round matches against Thai and Japanese opponents.

Top-seeded women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela will face Lin Xiao Min and Peng Yu Wei of Chinese Taipei. Priya Konjengbam–Shruti Mishra and the Gahlawat sisters will also seek deep runs.

In mixed doubles, Sathish and Aadya Variyath challenge sixth seeds from Indonesia, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto take on a Thai pair. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will square off against Chinese Taipei’s Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin.

With the World Championships drawing closer, India’s stars have one more shot to iron out their game and build confidence — and Macau could be the perfect stage for a breakthrough.