New Delhi, 31 August (H.S.): Looking to put behind the disappointment of his early exit from the recently concluded BWF World Championships, Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen will aim to make a strong comeback at the China Masters Super 750, beginning Tuesday. However, the World No. 13 faces a formidable challenge right from the opening round, where he is scheduled to take on newly crowned world champion Alex Lanier of France.

Despite his disappointing World Championships campaign, Lakshya has enjoyed a good season so far. He reached the final of the All England Championships and also advanced to the quarter-finals of four other tournaments.

Srikanth to Face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-jen

Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will also spearhead the Indian challenge in the tournament. Srikanth, who recently finished runner-up at the US Open Super 300, will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-jen in the Round of 32.

Satwik-Chirag Face Tough Test

In men’s doubles, fourth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on China’s Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi in the opening round. The Chinese pair won the Orleans Masters title earlier this season.

Satwik and Chirag won the Singapore Open title this year but could not progress beyond the third round at the World Championships. Meanwhile, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun will face eighth-seeded Japanese pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, the 2021 world champions.

Young Indian Women Shuttlers in Focus

In women’s singles, India’s young players Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma and Devika Sihag will be among those in focus.

Unnati, who finished third at the Taipei Open in late July, will face fifth-seeded Chinese player Han Yue in the opening round. Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma will take on Denmark’s Amalie Schulz, while Devika Sihag will face Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova.

The 21-year-old Devika enters the China Masters on the back of her title-winning campaign at the Thailand Masters Super 300 and will be high on confidence.

Indian Challenge in Mixed Doubles

In mixed doubles, the pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will face Thailand’s Tonkid and Tonrug Saeheng.

Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, meanwhile, will take on Chinese Taipei’s Wu Guan Xun and Lee Chia Hsin.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar