Aichi-Nagoya: Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu have been handed challenging draws in the individual badminton events at the Asian Games, while defending men’s doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received a relatively favourable route to the semifinals.
The individual competitions begin on Friday, with Indian shuttlers looking to recover quickly from the team events and add to the country’s medal tally.
India have already secured a badminton medal at the Games after the men’s team won bronze. The Indian side lost 1-3 to China in the semifinals on Wednesday, having won silver at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The women’s team also bowed out in the quarterfinals after losing to Japan, leaving India’s individual players with the task of carrying the medal hopes forward.
Lakshya faces Loh Kean Yew in second round
World No. 14 Lakshya Sen received a first-round bye and will begin his men’s singles campaign against former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
The draw could become significantly tougher in the quarterfinals, where Lakshya may face Indonesia’s world No. 1 Jonatan Christie if he progresses through his opening matches.
Lakshya enters the individual competition after a mixed run of results but showed his fighting qualities during the team event. He defeated Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, a two-time world championship silver medallist, in the quarterfinals before losing to China’s Shi Yu Qi in the last four.
The 25-year-old from Almora will now have to put that disappointment behind him as he targets an individual medal.
Ayush Shetty gets difficult third-round prospect
Ayush Shetty has also received a first-round bye in the men’s singles draw.
The young Indian could face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the third round if he advances through his opening matches, making the early stages of his campaign demanding.
Ayush had previously stunned Shi Yu Qi at the New Delhi World Championships and will look to reproduce that level of performance at the Asian Games.
Sindhu faces tough path to quarterfinals
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, like Lakshya, starts her women’s singles campaign in the second round after receiving a bye.
Sindhu could meet Japan’s seventh seed Tomoka Miyazaki in the round of 16. A victory there could set up a quarterfinal against China’s Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei.
The Indian veteran will therefore need to negotiate a difficult sequence of opponents if she is to reach the medal rounds.
Young Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda begins against North Korea’s Yu Mi Song. If she progresses, she could face Indonesia’s world No. 6 Putri Kusuma Wardani in the third round.
Satwik-Chirag get favourable doubles route
The men’s doubles draw offers a more encouraging route for India’s defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The fourth seeds will begin against Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukpun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul. They could then face Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin in the second round.
If Satwik and Chirag continue through the draw, they could meet South Korea’s top-seeded pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the semifinals.
The Indian pair made history at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games by becoming the first Indian men’s doubles team to win gold in the event.
Treesa-Gayatri carry women’s doubles hopes
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will also attract considerable attention after winning their maiden world championships bronze in New Delhi last month.
The duo was India’s only winning pair during the women’s team quarterfinal against Japan and will begin the individual competition against Hong Kong’s Lok Lok Lui and Hiu Yan Tsang.
A victory could set up a second-round meeting with Japan’s world No. 3 pair Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
Treesa and Gayatri defeated the Japanese pair during India’s team event earlier this week and will look to repeat that performance.
India’s other women’s doubles combination, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, have been drawn against Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilyysa Trias Puspitasari in the opening round. A win could put them up against South Korea’s second seeds Hana Baek and Sohee Lee.
Tough opening test for Hariharan and Arjun
Men’s doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun face an immediate challenge, with second seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia awaiting them in the opening round.
The pair put up a strong fight during India’s semifinal against China in the team event and will hope to carry that competitive spirit into the individual competition.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will begin against Maldives’ Nibal Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq Aminath Nabeeha.
India eye another strong Asian Games campaign
India enjoyed a historic badminton campaign at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, returning with three medals.
Satwik and Chirag won men’s doubles gold, becoming the first Indian pair to achieve the feat. The men’s team claimed silver, while HS Prannoy won bronze in men’s singles.
India have already secured one medal at the current Games through the men’s team bronze. However, matching or improving the three-medal haul from Hangzhou will require strong performances across the individual draws.
With Lakshya and Sindhu facing demanding routes and Satwik-Chirag carrying the expectations of defending champions, the individual badminton competition promises several important tests for India’s leading shuttlers.