Sydney: With India's singles stars still searching for rhythm, the spotlight will once again be on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as the top-seeded men's doubles pair eyes its first title of the season at the Australian Open Super 500 starting here on Tuesday.
The Asian Games champions have been the bright spots in an otherwise troubled season for Indian badminton, weaving together a second World Championships bronze and back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Hong Kong Super 500 and China Masters Super 750.
The two, who spent 18 weeks as world No. 1, had slipped to No. 27 in May but fought their way back to No. 3. They will be eager to put together another strong run ahead of the World Tour Finals.
The Commonwealth Games champions will open against Chinese Taipei's Chang Ko-Chi and Po Li-Wei.
Bruised by injuries and lean patches but intermittently shining with flashes of brilliance, India's top singles stars, including Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, will hope to find the consistent rhythm that has eluded them for much of the year.
Lakshya seemed to have rediscovered his form with a final appearance at the Hong Kong Open after enduring a run of poor results since his heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.
The 24-year-old from Almora looked sharp in Japan last week before bowing out in the semifinals. Seeded seventh here, he will hope to build on the momentum when he opens against Chinese Taipei's Su Li Yang.
Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist, has fond memories of this tournament, having finished runner-up last year.
The 33-year-old, one of India's most consistent performers in recent years and winner of the 2023 Malaysia Masters, returned from injury in Kumamoto last week.
He defeated Malaysia's Jun Hao Leong before losing in the second round to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke.
Prannoy will look to regain full rhythm when he faces Canada's Brian Yang.
Veteran Kidambi Srikanth, a runner-up at this year's Malaysia Masters, plays fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi, while US Open champion Ayush Shetty meets Malaysia's Justin Hoh.
Among others, Kiran George faces sixth seed Kenta Nishimoto, fresh off a runner-up finish at the Japan Masters, while Tharun Mannepalli will seek a breakthrough when he opens against Denmark's Magnus Johannesen.
In women's singles, Aakarshi Kashyap is the lone Indian in the draw but faces a daunting opener against top seed and Olympic champion An Se Young.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand return to action after the latter's long injury layoff, taking on fourth seeds Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun of Chinese Taipei in women's doubles.
In mixed doubles, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan will meet Canada's Nyl Yakura and Crystal Lai.
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