This story is from May 13, 2024

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

Indian badminton duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty gear up for the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament, aiming to rectify recent challenges. As Olympic hopefuls fine-tune their skills, HS Prannoy seeks form resurgence. Young talents like Kiran George and Ashmita Chaliha also vie for success, enhancing India's representation at the prestigious event. Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, Olympic qualifiers, await their turn in the women's doubles.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty aim to recover from a slight dip in form as Thailand Open begins
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (PTI Photo)
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.
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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)
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TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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