Satwik-Chirag duo anchors India's hopes in Aus Open

SYDNEY: With India’s singles contingent still searching for rhythm, the focus will once again be on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as the top-seeded men’s doubles pair begins its Australian Open Super 500 campaign here on Tuesday, aiming for a first title of the season.

The Asian Games champions remain India’s most reliable performers in an otherwise uneven year, having secured a second World Championships bronze and successive runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750. After slipping to world No. 27 in May, the pair has climbed back to No. 3 and will look to carry that momentum into the closing stretch of the season ahead of the World Tour Finals. They open against Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei.

India’s singles players, meanwhile, continue to deal with injuries, form fluctuations and sporadic bursts of strong play. Lakshya Sen, who has shown signs of recovery following a difficult spell since his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics, reached the final at the Hong Kong Open and looked sharp again in Japan last week before losing in the semifinals. Seeded seventh in Sydney, he begins against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang.

HS Prannoy also returns seeking stability. The 33-year-old, who finished runner-up at this event last year, made his comeback from injury in Kumamoto, where he defeated Malaysia’s Jun Hao Leong before a second-round exit to Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke. Prannoy opens against Canada’s Brian Yang as he looks to rebuild rhythm ahead of a packed end to the season.

Kidambi Srikanth, runner-up at the Malaysia Masters earlier this year, faces fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi. US Open champion Ayush Shetty plays Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, while Kiran George takes on sixth seed Kenta Nishimoto, who arrives after a runner-up finish at the Japan Masters. Tharun Mannepalli begins his campaign against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen as he searches for a breakthrough performance.

In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap is the lone Indian representative and faces a difficult opener against top seed and Olympic champion An Se Young.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand return to the women’s doubles circuit after Gopichand’s extended injury layoff and will meet fourth seeds Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun of Chinese Taipei. In mixed doubles, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan open against Canada’s Nyl Yakura and Crystal Lai.