Satwik-Chirag Aim to End Title Drought as Indian Contingent Gears Up for Japan Open

India’s top badminton duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, will be eyeing their first title of the season as they spearhead the country’s campaign at the Japan Open Super 750 tournament, starting Tuesday. The former world No. 1 pair, now ranked 15th, will open against South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.

Despite a consistent run through the season, including three semifinal appearances and a quarterfinal finish at last month’s Indonesia Open,  a title has remained elusive for the Commonwealth Games gold medallists. 

Their season started strong with semifinal finishes at both the Malaysia and India Opens in January, but injuries hampered their progress. Satwik’s health concerns and Chirag’s back issues sidelined the pair for several weeks. Now back at full fitness, the duo looks determined to translate their consistency into silverware.

In singles, India’s Lakshya Sen faces an uphill task to turn around a challenging season. The world No. 18 has suffered a string of early exits, with his best result being a quarterfinal run at the All England Championships. A back injury forced him to retire mid-match at the Singapore Open, but a spirited three-game performance against world No. 3 Shi Yu Qi in Indonesia showed signs of revival. Lakshya opens his campaign against China’s Wang Zheng Xing.

For P.V. Sindhu, the 2025 season has been far from ideal. Ranked 16th, the two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion is yet to go past the quarterfinal stage this year. That solitary last-eight showing coming at the India Open in January. 

Turning 30 earlier this month, Sindhu will hope to rediscover her rhythm as she continues her comeback from a hamstring injury. She begins her campaign against Korea’s Sim Yu Jin, under the guidance of coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, with whom she’s trained for the past six months.

Among other Indian entries, rising star Unnati Hooda — a semifinalist at the Taipei Open — faces a tough opening round against seventh seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand. Anupama Upadhyaya and Rakshitha Ramraj are also set to face off in an all-Indian clash.

In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi take on Korea’s third-seeded pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. Women’s doubles hopefuls Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi and the Panda sisters — Rutaparna and Swetaparna — will also be in action.

With several key players returning from injuries, India’s performance in Tokyo could shape the trajectory of the season ahead.