Ningbo (China): Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Championships due to the former’s shoulder injury, even as in-form Lakshya Sen and seasoned PV Sindhu gear up to spearhead India’s challenge with an aim to end a long wait for a singles title in the continental showpiece.
Satwik and Chirag, who had won the title in 2023, opted out as the former continues to recover.
“Satwik still has some pain, so they won’t be playing this week,” coach Tan Kim Her told PTI.
The duo had earlier pulled out of the Swiss Open ahead of their quarterfinal match due to a recurring right shoulder injury to Satwik.
India will now rely on Lakshya and Sindhu in singles, with both looking to end the country’s 61-year wait for a title in the discipline.
Former national champion Dinesh Khanna remains the only Indian to win the men’s singles gold at the continental meet in 1965, and Lakshya will be keen to follow in his footsteps after a runner-up finish at the All England Championships.
The 24-year-old from Almora will open his campaign against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Sindhu, meanwhile, returns after a disrupted European leg. The two-time Olympic medallist was stranded in Dubai en route to the All England Championships due to the conflict in West Asia, forcing her withdrawal. She subsequently skipped the Swiss Open to recover and will begin her campaign against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.
India will also have a busy men’s singles slate, with HS Prannoy, returning after recovering from a shoulder injury, set to face a qualifier, while Kidambi Srikanth takes on Singapore’s eighth seed Loh Kean Yew. US Open champion Ayush Shetty faces China’s fifth seed Li Shi Feng.
In women’s singles, apart from Sindhu, Unnati Hooda meets Thailand’s Supanida Katethong, Tanvi Sharma takes on Malaysia’s K. Letshanaa, and Malvika Bansod faces Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun, who won back-to-back titles at the 2025 Al Ain Masters Super 100 and the 2025 Turkiye International Challenge, face top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea. P. Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. take on Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi.
In women’s doubles, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam face Thailand’s Hathaithip Mijad and N. Tungkasatan, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela meet China’s Luo Yi and Wang Ting Ge. Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra await a qualifier.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani face Malaysia’s eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh meet another Malaysian pair Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto take on Thailand’s P. Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard.
PTI
