After a quarter-final exit in previous week’s Arctic open, star Indian badminton player PV Sindhu has been handed yet another tough draw, this time at the Denmark Open. The two-time Olympic medallist is now set to face a daunting task of playing against World No.1 An Se-young in the Super 750 tournament, beginning at Odense on Tuesday.
Sindhu, the former world champion, will be eager to bounce back after her Arctic Open campaign ended with a three-game defeat to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon. However, her task in Denmark will be cut out from the start, with the Indian having lost all 10 of her previous meetings against An.
The 31-year-old had enjoyed a strong run earlier this season, winning the Japan Open Super 750 title in July. She will now look to carry that form into Denmark as she seeks to challenge the top players on the circuit.
In the men’s singles draw, Lakshya Sen faces a similarly difficult opening challenge against third seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. The Indian will be looking to regain momentum after a disappointing individual campaign at the Asian Games, where he exited in the round of 32.
Lakshya had beaten Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the men’s team event quarter-finals at the Asian Games but could not replicate that performance in the individual competition. A back injury has also disrupted his recent run, making his challenge in Denmark more demanding.
Despite the recent setbacks, Lakshya has shown that he can compete with the best. He finished runner-up at the All England Championships earlier this year, reaching the final for the second time after his maiden appearance in 2022. He also became the first Indian men’s singles player to reach the Olympic semi-finals at the Paris Games in 2024.
Chou, meanwhile, arrives with a recent victory over another Indian, having beaten Ayush Shetty in three games at the Asian Games. Ayush will begin his Denmark Open campaign against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, who defeated the Indian in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Championships.
Ayush will be keen to build on a series of encouraging performances. The Indian won the US Open Super 300 title in 2025 and made a major statement at this year’s World Championships by defeating then world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. A strong showing in Denmark would offer him another opportunity to establish himself among the circuit’s emerging contenders.
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, meanwhile, returns to the tournament where he won the men’s singles title in 2017. He opens his campaign against France’s Arnaud Merkle.
WHO BEYOND PV SINDHU?
Beyond Sindhu, India will have four more representatives in women’s singles, with Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, Devika Sihag and Unnati Hooda also in the draw.
Tanvi, who won her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Taipei Open in August, begins against Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira. Ashmita will take on Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova after securing the Korea Masters Super 300 title in August.
Devika faces a difficult assignment against eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand, while Unnati will open against China’s Han Qian Xi.
Unnati heads to Denmark after an encouraging Asian Games campaign. She reached the quarter-finals after beating a top-10 opponent before pushing Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi to three games, performances that will offer her confidence heading into the Super 750 tournament.
SATWIK-CHIRAG LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to put their disappointing Asian Games campaign behind them after suffering a shock first-round exit.
The fifth seeds had enjoyed a successful run on the World Tour earlier this season, winning the Singapore Open Super 750 title in May to end a two-year wait for a tournament crown before adding the China Masters title last month. They will open their Denmark Open campaign against China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
India’s women’s doubles challenge will be led by Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who won a historic bronze medal at the World Championships in August. The pair reached the quarter-finals at the Asian Games before losing to Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.
Treesa and Gayatri will begin their Denmark Open campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Yan Fei Chen and Hsieh Pei Shan.
The other Indian women’s doubles pair in the draw, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, will face sixth seeds Bao Li Jing and Cao Zi Han of China.
– Ends
