Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty aim to recover from a slight dip in form as Thailand Open begins

NEW DELHI: Star Indian badminton doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to compete in the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament starting Tuesday. The top-seeded duo, considered strong contenders for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, encountered some challenges in dealing with the diverse serves from their Indonesian and Chinese opponents at the Thomas Cup.
They aim to address this slight dip in form and regain their competitive edge in this week's tournament, starting with a match against Malaysia's Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong.
As Olympic-bound shuttlers look to refine their skills before the Paris Games, the BWF world tour events provide an ideal opportunity to test new strokes and adjustments to their gameplay.
HS Prannoy, India's top singles player and a bronze medallist at the world championships and Asian Games, is also seeking to find his best form after facing health issues this season. Despite a confidence-boosting win over Indonesia's Anthony Ginting, his narrow loss to China's Shi Yuqi highlights the need to close out tight matches to achieve the optimal mental state for the Olympics.
Kiran George and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran are also participating in the tournament, with Kiran facing China's Australia Open winner Weng Hong Yang and Sathish, the Odisha Masters title holder from last December, taking on a qualifier in their respective opening matches.
In the absence of PV Sindhu, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, and Aakarshi Kashyap will carry India's hopes in the women's singles category. Ashmita will face Indonesia's Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, while Malvika takes on top seed Chinese Han Yue, and Aakarshi is matched against Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
Young talents Unnati Hooda and Imad Farooqui Samiya will also strive to showcase their skills when they face Belgium's Lianne Tan and China's Goa Fang Jie, respectively. In the women's doubles category, the fourth-seeded Indian pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, who have qualified for the Paris Olympics, will begin their campaign in the second round after receiving a bye.
(Inputs from PTI)