India At Korea Open Super 500 Preview: HS Prannoy, Ayush Shetty To Spearhead Challenge

Still searching for consistency this season, HS Prannoy will headline India's challenge alongside rising star Ayush Shetty at the USD 475,000 Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament beginning in Suwon (Korea) on Tuesday.

With two successive finals at the Hong Kong and China Masters, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have revived India's season but will skip this week's event, leaving the focus on Prannoy and Ayush to carry the tricolour.

Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, has endured a string of early exits this season but has stretched top opponents, with most matches going the distance.

Wins over China's Lu Guang Zu and narrow defeats to Lakshya Sen and Anders Antonsen underline his ability to still push the best in the business.

The 33-year-old opens against a qualifier and is likely to run into veteran Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the second round.

Ayush, meanwhile, remains the only Indian to win a BWF title this season, clinching the US Open crown. The 22-year-old from Mangalore has since grown in stature with wins 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 begin against Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei.

Kiran George also features in the men's singles draw and faces a stiff opener against Singapore's fifth seed Loh Kean Yew.

In women's singles, Anupama Upadhyaya takes on fourth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia.

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