New Delhi: Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth, two of India’s best badminton players, will lead the country’s team in the Arctic Open 2025, which starts on Tuesday in Vantaa, Finland. The competition is part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 500 series, and India’s goal is to win the championship after not having one for a long time.
Lakshya Sen Wants to Win His First Title of 2025
Lakshya Sen, who made it to the semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics, reached his first final of the year in the Hong Kong Open last month. He will want to go one step further and win the title this time. But Sen’s lack of consistency this season has been a worry; during the China Masters, he lost in the first round for the tenth time this year, according to Olympics.com.
Sen is still a formidable contender, even though he’s had some problems lately. He’s trying to get back to his best form before the end-of-year events.
Srikanth Wants to Keep Going with His Recent Success
Kidambi Srikanth, the former world number one, is also in the men’s singles draw. He showed signs of his finest form when he made it to the semifinals of the Al Ain Masters last week. In May of this year, Srikanth also made it to the Malaysia Masters final, which was a hint that he was getting back into the swing of things.
Ayush Shetty, Tharun Mannepalli, Kiran George, and S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian are also in India’s men’s singles roster.
Ayush Shetty Has a Hard First Match
Ayush Shetty, the only Indian to win a BWF World Tour title this year (after winning the US Open in June), will have a tough first match against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In the meantime, India’s best men’s doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who are the current Asian Games champions, have pulled out of the event.
Women’s Singles Without PV Sindhu
Without two-time Olympic winner PV Sindhu, India’s women’s singles effort will be led by youthful players Tanya Hemanth and Anmol Kharb.
Kavipriya Selvam, who qualified, will also play in the women’s singles draw. In the women’s doubles tournament, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will represent India.
Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila are in charge of the Mixed Doubles Challenge.
India’s main challenge in mixed doubles will be Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila, who will be competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. There will also be another Indian pair in the competition: Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan.
Even though India has a great history in badminton, no Indian player has ever won a title at the Arctic Open. The 2025 team will try to change that.
The full Indian team for the Arctic Open 2025 is:
Men’s Singles: Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Ayush Shetty, Tharun Mannepalli, Kiran George, and S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian
Tanya Hemanth, Anmol Kharb, and Kavipriya Selvam (qualifier) are in the women’s singles.
Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi are playing women’s doubles.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan are playing mixed doubles.