Lakshya, Satwik-Chirag eye first title of season at China Masters Super 75

NEW DELHI: Fresh from a final’s appearance, Lakshya Sen will look to ride on his newfound momentum, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, too, will aim to carry forward their consistency at the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday.

Lakshya, who reached his first major final in two years at the just-concluded Hong Kong Open after a prolonged spell of poor form and fitness issues, opens against France’s Toma Junior Popov. The 24-year-old from Almora, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, hasn’t been his best with multiple early exits, but he turned it around to make the summit clash.

“I just need to believe in myself more. I need to keep the same from day one what I was doing, the process,” he said.

Eighth seeds Satwik and Chirag have been India’s most consistent performers this season, with six semifinal finishes, a second World Championships bronze and a runner-up effort at Hong Kong last week. The Asian Games champions, still chasing their first crown of 2025, will start against Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.

In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will hope to rediscover her top game when she takes on Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen. In women’s doubles, the Panda sisters — Rutaparna and Swetaparna — face Malaysia’s Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting. Agencies

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