India’s badminton stars face challenging opening-round matches at the USD 950,000 Denmark Open Super 750 tournament, beginning Tuesday in Odense, with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu drawn against world No. 1 and defending champion An Se-young.
The former world champion faces a difficult task against the South Korean star, having lost all 10 of their previous meetings.
Sindhu, 31, enters the tournament after winning the Japan Open Super 750 title in July and reaching last week’s Arctic Open quarterfinals, where she suffered a three-game defeat against Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon.
Lakshya Sen Faces Tough Test in Men’s Singles
Lakshya Sen will also face a challenging opener against third seed Chou Tien Chen as he looks to regain consistency following a disappointing Asian Games individual campaign.
The Indian, who reached the Olympic semifinals in 2024, finished runner-up at the All England Championships earlier this year, repeating his achievement from 2022.
However, a recent back injury has affected his performances. Despite defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the Asian Games men’s team event, Lakshya exited the individual competition in the round of 32.
Rising star Ayush Shetty faces Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, who defeated him at the World Championships. Ayush previously won the 2025 US Open Super 300 title and stunned then-world No. 1 Shi Yuqi at this year’s World Championships.
Former Denmark Open champion Kidambi Srikanth begins against France’s Arnaud Merkle.
Young Indian Women Aim to Make Their Mark
India’s women’s singles lineup features Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, Devika Sihag and Unnati Hooda alongside Sindhu.
Tanvi, who claimed her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Taipei Open in August, meets Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira.
Korea Masters champion Ashmita faces Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova, while Devika takes on eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong.
Unnati, who reached the Asian Games quarterfinals, opens against China’s Han Qian Xi.
Satwik-Chirag Target Doubles Success
Former world No. 1 men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will seek redemption following their unexpected first-round Asian Games exit.
The fifth seeds, who won the Singapore Open in May and China Masters last month, face China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
In women’s doubles, World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand begin against Chinese Taipei’s Yan Fei Chen and Hsieh Pei Shan.
Meanwhile, sisters Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda face China’s sixth-seeded pair Bao Li Jing and Cao Zi Han.
With several difficult early matchups, India’s players will need strong performances to progress deep into the prestigious tournament.
