India Open Super 750: As no home player went beyond quarterfinals, performances on the court leave much to ponder

Favourites stumped

Two disciplines where India had the best chance of a final appearance, or even a title, were men’s singles and men’s doubles. Lakshya Sen showed glimpses of his best in the wins against Ayush Shetty and Kenta Nishimoto. Satwik-Chirag came into the week hoping that the tournament could help end their long wait for a title (they didn’t win any in 2025). But both of them were stumped by speedy opponents in drift-y conditions.

It was a common theme over the week, with the wind inside the arena – a steady natural breeze and not the air-conditioning-induced drift that is more common in the sport – favouring players who rely on their speed on court and sharp attacks. Many who lost attributed their defeats to not being able to control the shuttle and the inability to adapt to court conditions quicker than their opponents. Lakshya, who has now lost three in a row against Lin Chun-yi over the last year, was able to use the conditions to his advantage against a ‘rally player’ like Nishimoto. But Lin’s speed of attack and his own flurry of length errors when hitting with the drift meant he was stumped.

Lakshya Sen competes against Kenta Nishimoto from Japan on Thursday, January 15, 2026. (Express Photo | Abhinav Saha)

For Satwik-Chirag, it was a patchy performance against Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita – two short, agile players who counterpunched superbly, which is a growing area of concern for them. But the Indians weren’t helped by the fact that they had received a walkover in the first round. They trained in the main arena on Monday morning, and didn’t play a match till late on Wednesday.

Veterans show fight

On the last legs of long international careers, Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy showed they still have fight in them. For Srikanth, a three-game win against his younger training partner Tharun Mannepalli was followed by a three-game defeat against red-hot Frenchman Christo Popov. Prannoy too produced a remarkable performance in a straight-games win over last year’s finalist Lee Cheuk Yiu and then pushed former world champion Loh Kean Yew all the way in a three-game defeat.

“I’m not playing just for the sake of playing. I want to do well and know that I can win against guys like Popov. Maybe last year I was a bit confused, but I have been training well and am upset that I didn’t pull it off,” Srikanth said.

Men’s singles shuttler HS Prannoy in action at the India Open Super 750. ( Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

An injury-free Prannoy said the two matches restored confidence, and that he needn’t doubt his ability to push the top players.

“These kinds of matches help you figure out your level. That’s why it’s important to stay on the circuit, because how much you train, you can’t replicate this level.”

Bright sparks

PV Sindhu’s year began with a semifinal appearance at the Malaysia Open. But Thuy Linh Nguyen’s overall consistent game, coupled with jaw-dropping deception sprinkled in every now and then, meant she lost to the Vietnamese for the third straight time.

But in women’s singles, there were a couple of bright sparks. Returning from a nasty knee injury suffered at the Indonesia Open, Malvika Bansod saw victory in defeat. That she was able to beat Pai Yu Po and trouble World No.3 Han Yue despite losing in straight games, just in her second tournament back, should help her build confidence going into the season.

Arguably the most exciting performance by an Indian came from 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma. Having been granted a last-minute entry into the tournament, she had World No.2 Wang Zhiyi seriously worried for two games, but eventually the Chinese star’s endurance came through in the third as Tanvi’s fight fizzled out.