NEW DELHI — Star shuttlers Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will headline host India's
largest-ever contingent at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 750 badminton
tournament, starting here from January 14.
With top stars like Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen, An
Se Young, and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi leading the field, top-tier action is
expected at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium.
A total of 21 Indian players, including three men’s
singles, four women’s singles, two men’s doubles, eight women’s doubles, and
four mixed doubles pairs, will compete in the USD 950,000 BWF World Tour event,
which offers 11,000 ranking points for the champions.
"With so many Indian players competing in a Super
750 event, it’s a remarkable sign of the growth and rise of Indian badminton on
the world stage," Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary, Badminton Association
of India, said in a release.
"This is just the beginning— 2025 promises to be a
year where more names will feature alongside the established names, while fresh
faces will emerge and shine bringing glory and pride to India. The competition
at the IG Stadium will be a testament to the rising caliber of Indian
talents," he added.
The tournament, which was elevated to Super 750 category
in 2023, saw India field 14 entries in the past two editions, and India's
highlights were Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reaching the men’s
doubles final and HS Prannoy making the men’s singles semifinals in 2024.
Chirag and Satwik, semifinalists at the 2024 China
Masters, will lead India’s men’s doubles charge. Satwik, returning from injury,
will look to regain his form after limited play since the Paris Olympics.
Apart from Satwik-Chirag, India's hopes will also rest on
former champion Lakshya Sen and two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu.
The competition will feature 18 of the world’s top-20
men’s singles players and 14 of the top-20 women’s singles shuttlers.
The men’s doubles line-up is being led by China’s Paris
Olympics silver medal winning combination of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang along
with Paris bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, Danish
pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen and Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and
Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
LIST OF INDIA PLAYERS:
Men's Singles - Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Priyanshu
Rajawat