Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth aim to kick off the new season on a positive note as they embark on their campaign at the Malaysia Open, the season-opening BWF Super 1000 event in Kuala Lumpur. The stakes are high with the Paris Olympic qualification in mind. Leading the Indian men’s singles charge is the world no.8 HS Prannoy, who had a stellar season last year, clinching a career-defining bronze medal at the World Championships and breaking India’s 41-year wait for a men’s singles medal in the Asian Games.
Prannoy, seeded 8th, is eager to build on his impressive form as he begins his campaign against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the first round, who made a strong comeback after a long injury layoff by winning the Korea Open last year.
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Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy eye victories in Malaysia Open
All eyes are on Lakshya and Srikanth, who strive to secure a spot in the top 16 of the Race to Paris – Olympic qualification rankings after experiencing contrasting fortunes last season. World no. 16 Lakshya’s peak form was evident when he claimed the Canada Open Super 500 in July last year, but since then, his performance has waned, culminating in a quarter-final defeat at the 85th Senior National Championships.
On the other hand, world no.24 Srikanth had an inconsistent year, failing to reach a single semifinal despite playing in four quarterfinals. The Malaysia Open presents a tough challenge for both players as they face formidable opponents in the opening rounds – Lakshya against China’s Weng Hong Yang and Srikanth against sixth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.
In the men’s doubles section, the second-seeded pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, who reached the semifinals at the last edition of the Malaysia Open, are eager to start the year strong. They face Indonesia’s Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana in the first round. Considering their outstanding form in 2023, including winning the Badminton Asia Championships title and Asian Games men’s doubles gold, they stand as India’s best bet for a title at this prestigious event. The duo also secured three BWF titles in the Indonesia Open, Korea Open, and Swiss Open.
