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Following the Korea Open, the badminton circuit now heads to Tokyo for the high-profile Daihatsu Japan Open, a Super 750 tournament to be held from July 25-30. Established in 1977, the tournament counts some of the biggest shuttlers among its winners, including the likes of legends Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei.
However, in its past 41 editions, no Indian has ever managed to lift the trophy at the Japan Open, something the contingent will be keen to correct this time around.
All eyes will be on the dazzling men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won their fourth title of the season at the Korea Open last Sunday. They are currently on a 10-match winning streak following their big win at the Indonesia Open earlier in June.
The Commonwealth Games champions are seeded third at the upcoming tournament and open their campaign against the Indonesian combination of Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, ranked 10th in the world.
The other Indian representation in men's doubles is the pair of Dhruv Kapila/MR Arjun, who face the formidable fourth seeds Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, bronze medallists at the Tokyo Olympics.
The men's singles section has five Indians. The draw has thrown up a tasty first-round encounter between eighth seed HS Prannoy and reigning All England Open champion Li Shi Feng. While the Chinese did not play at the Korea Open, Feng had a fantastic North American swing earlier this month, emerging victorious at the US Open and finishing runner-up at the Canada Open.
It is to be noted that Prannoy got the better of Feng on his way to winning the title at the Malaysia Masters in May this year.
Lakshya Sen, meanwhile, returns to competition after skipping the Korea Open. The 21-year-old took a week off after a hectic schedule in North America, where he won the Canada Open and made it to the semifinals of the US Open.
Interestingly, Sen has drawn none other than his compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat, who triumphed at the Orleans Masters earlier in the season.
Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth has a tough first-round opponent in the form of World No. 7 Chou Tien Chen. Mithun Manjunath takes on World No. 26 Weng Hong Yang in his opener.
In women's singles, PV Sindhu will continue her attempt to get back to winning ways. The Commonwealth Games gold medalist has been having an underwhelming season following her return to action after a five-month injury layoff.
Other than a runner-up showing at the Madrid Spain Masters and a couple of semifinals at the Canada Open and the Malaysia Masters, the shuttle queen has largely disappointed this season.
Sindhu's first tournament post her hiring the services of Muhammad Hafiz Hashim as her new coach also didn't pan out as expected as she crashed out in the first round of the Korea Open.
Now languishing at No. 17 in the world, the former world champion doesn't have it easy at the Japan Open either as she opens her challenge against 20th-ranked Zhang Yi Man. The two have split their two meetings this year, with Zhang winning at the All England Open while Sindhu taking their Malaysia Masters showdown in a three-game nail-biter.
Suffice to say, anything other than her sharpest play could see Sindhu on her way to yet another first-round exit in what has been a year of struggles.
Among the other Indians in the women's singles draw, Aakarshi Kashyap faces top seed and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi while Malvika Bansod has 26th-ranked Aya Ohori first up.
In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand square off against local pair of Sayaka Hobara/Yui Suizu.
India's sole mixed doubles pair of Sikki Reddy/Rohan Kapoor meet Koreans Ye Hong Wei/Lee Chia Hsin in the first round.
Japan Open 2023: Schedule
First round: July 25-26, 2023
Second round: July 27, 2023
Quarter-finals: July 28, 2023
Semi-finals: July 29, 2023
Finals: July 30, 2023
Venue: Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Matches for the first few days are likely to start at 10 am local time/ 6.30 am IST.
Japan Open 2023: Telecast channel list in India
The Japan Open 2023 will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Wednesday, July 26. The matches will also be shown on Jio Cinema.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV as well. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software throughout the tournament.
Full list of Indian contingent playing at Japan Open 2023
Men's singles: HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Mithun Manjunath
Women's singles: PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod
Men's doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila/MR Arjun
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand
Mixed doubles: Sikki Reddy/Rohan Kapoor
