Satwik-Chirag Lead India’s Charge as Australian Open Begins Amid Singles Struggles

India’s hopes at the Australian Open Super 500 in Sydney will once again rest heavily on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, with the top-seeded men’s doubles pair aiming for their first title of the season as the tournament begins on Tuesday. With the country’s singles contingent still searching for fluency, the spotlight remains firmly on the Asian Games champions, who have delivered India’s most consistent results through a turbulent year.

Satwik and Chirag have stitched together an impressive campaign despite setbacks, adding a second World Championships bronze to their tally and producing back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750. After spending 18 weeks as the world’s top-ranked pair before slipping to No. 27 in May, they have clawed their way back to No. 3. With the World Tour Finals approaching, the duo will look to build further momentum when they open against Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei.

For India’s singles players, the challenge has been finding sustained rhythm after a season punctuated by injuries and inconsistency. Lakshya Sen appears to be rediscovering his touch following a difficult stretch since finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics. His run to the Hong Kong Open final and a strong semifinal showing in Japan last week have lifted confidence. Seeded seventh in Sydney, he begins his campaign against Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei.

1. S. Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist and runner-up at this tournament last year, is also searching for a steady run after returning from injury. The 33-year-old beat Malaysia’s Jun Hao Leong in Kumamoto before falling to Rasmus Gemke in the second round. He faces Canada’s Brian Yang in his opener as he works toward regaining full match rhythm.

Veteran Kidambi Srikanth, runner-up at this year’s Malaysia Masters, meets fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi. Rising talent Ayush Shetty, the US Open champion, plays Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, while Kiran George takes on sixth seed Kenta Nishimoto, who arrives with confidence from a runner-up finish at the Japan Masters. Tharun Mannepalli opens against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen as he searches for a breakthrough.

In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap shoulders India’s sole challenge but faces a formidable task against top seed and Olympic champion An Se Young in the first round. The women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand return together following Gayatri’s long injury absence, opening against fourth seeds Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun. In mixed doubles, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan meet Canada’s Nyl Yakura and Crystal Lai.