Korea Open: HS Prannoy And Ayush Shetty To Lead India's Challenege

HS Prannoy, seeking consistency this season, will lead India’s challenge alongside rising star Ayush Shetty at the USD 475,000 Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament starting on Tuesday.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who have revitalised India’s season with consecutive finals at the Hong Kong and China Masters, will skip this week’s event. This leaves the spotlight on Prannoy and Ayush to represent India.

Who Will HS Prannoy & Ayush Shetty Face?

Prannoy, who earned a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships, has faced a series of early exits this season but has managed to push top opponents to the limit in most matches. His victories over China’s Lu Guang Zu and close losses to Lakshya Sen and Anders Antonsen demonstrate his ability to compete with the best.

The 33-year-old

will start against a qualifier and is likely to meet veteran Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the second round.

Ayush, the only Indian to secure a BWF title this season by winning the US Open, has grown in stature with victories over Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, Chou Tien Chen, Canada’s Brian Yang, India’s Kidambi Srikanth, former world champion Loh Kean Yew, and Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke. He will face Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei in the first round.

Kiran George also features in the men’s singles draw and has a tough opener against Singapore’s fifth seed Loh Kean Yew.

In women’s singles, Anupama Upadhyaya will compete against Indonesia’s fourth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani.

In doubles, the mixed pair of Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan will start against Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.

(With inputs from PTI)