Lakshya, Sindhu shift focus to individual glory at Thailand Open

Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will spearhead India’s challenge as the shuttlers shift focus back to individual glory after the country’s bronze-medal finish at the Thomas Cup Finals when the $500,000 Thailand Open Super 500 tournament begins in Bangkok on Tuesday (May 12, 2026).

Seventh seed Lakshya, who suffered an elbow injury and missed the crucial semi-final against France in Denmark, will open against Singapore’s Jason Teh Jia Heng, while Ayush Shetty, who impressed during the Thomas Cup campaign, faces a difficult opener against sixth seed Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, a world championships medallist.

In women’s singles, sixth seed Sindhu will begin against Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong. The 30-year-old from Hyderabad looked sharp during the Uber Cup campaign while sporting an experimental wearable device on her temple, but she will need to close out tight matches better to rediscover her ruthless edge.

With a semifinal finish in Malaysia and a quarterfinal appearance in Indonesia this season, Sindhu has managed to stay just outside the top 10 rankings, but the two-time Olympic medallist will need a consistent run to end her title drought.

Former world championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, who reached the finals of the Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi International last season, has shown flashes of brilliance but has often struggled with inconsistency and unforced errors.

Now 33, Srikanth faces an uphill task to return to the podium regularly and will hope to make a strong start against eighth seed Loh Kean Yew in a rematch of the 2021 World Championships final.

Tharun Mannepalli, whose progress has frequently been interrupted by injuries and niggles, will take on Japan’s Koki Watanabe.

Among other Indian women in the fray, Unnati Hooda faces fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in a tough opener, while Devika Sihag meets Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira and Tanvi Sharma takes on Hina Akechi.

Malvika Bansod will open against Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang, while Anmol Kharb has been handed a daunting first-round clash against second seed and former Olympic champion Chen Yufei. Isharani Baruah will face a qualifier.

In men’s doubles, top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Indonesia’s Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana.

The Asian Games champion pair of Rankireddy and Shetty will hope to regain their dominance after appearing slightly subdued on their return at the Thomas Cup Finals following the former’s shoulder injury.

Seventh seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, who impressed at the Thomas Cup, will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh.

In women’s doubles, sisters Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will be India’s lone representative and face Taiwan’s Lin Chih-Chun and Yang Chu Yun.

In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani will face China’s Jiang Zhen Bang and Li Yi Jing, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will look to regain rhythm against Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje.

Young Indian pair Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh will also be in action.