India's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim for a strong result, Lakshya Sen will look to build on his recent form and HS Prannoy will hope to shake off rust after a lengthy break at the season-opening Malaysia Super 1000 tournament starting here on Tuesday.

For Satwik and Chirag, seeded seventh, this USD 1.45 million event marks the start of a new season like it did in 2024.

Last year, although they narrowly missed out on the title, the pairing went on to reach three more finals, winning two of them.

The Asian Games gold medallists were in exceptional form and will be hoping to replicate that success this year. Having reunited with Malaysian coach Kim Tan Her, the former world number ones are determined to go the distance, but they face a tough challenge ahead.

The high calibre of opponents in their draw will make the path to victory anything but easy.

Satwik and Chirag, who reached the semifinals of the 2024 China Masters in their last event, will open their campaign against the pair of Ming Che Lu and Tang Kai Wei from Chinese Taipei.

If they progress, they are likely to face a quarterfinal clash against Indonesia’s fourth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, a matchup that promises to be a thrilling contest.

In men’s singles, Lakshya will look to carry forward his recent success after ending a long title drought with a victory at the Syed Modi International Super 300 and a third-place finish at the King Cup International last month.

These wins have given him much-needed confidence, and he will aim to make a deep run in the Super 1000 event.

Prannoy, on the other hand, will be returning to action after a five-month hiatus following his prequarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics. The 32-year-old, who had to take a break due to chikungunya and to regain his fitness, will be hoping to shake off any rust.

His first test will be against Canada’s Brian Yang in the opening round.

Priyanshu Rajawat, who has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled with consistency, will face seventh-seeded Chinese player Li Shi Feng in his opening match.

In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will be missing from the tournament, having recently got married. In her absence, other Indian players -- Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Anupama Upadhyaya will look to make their mark.

Malvika will open against Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, Aakarshi will face Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen, and Anupama has a tough task ahead as she faces eighth-seeded Pornpawee Chochuwong in her opener.

In women’s doubles, the Indian duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded sixth, will look to carry the momentum from a maiden Super 300 title in Lucknow and its participation in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

The Indian combination will face Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai in their opening match.

Eighth seeds Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, who retained the Guwahati Masters Super 100 title, will take on Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo and Chiharu Shida in their first match. The Panda sisters, Rutuparna and Swetaparna, will also be in action, looking to make their presence felt.

In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto will partner Dhruv Kapila, while Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath, along with Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, will also compete in their respective events.

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