Denmark Open 2025: P.V. Sindhu and India’s Badminton Stars Face Testing Draws
India’s leading badminton players face a demanding week at the USD 950,000 Denmark Open Super 750, which begins Tuesday in Odense. Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu has drawn defending champion and world No. 1 An Se-young in the opening round, while men’s singles player Lakshya Sen must contend with third seed Chou Tien Chen. With several Indian players arriving on the back of encouraging results—and others seeking a return to form—the tournament offers an important test against elite international opposition.
The Denmark Open is part of the BWF World Tour’s Super 750 tier, where deep fields and ranking points make every round significant. For India, the challenge is not limited to its biggest names: emerging singles players and established doubles partnerships will also be looking to turn recent progress into a strong run in Odense.
Sindhu faces a familiar hurdle in An Se-young
Sindhu begins her campaign with one of the toughest possible assignments. An is the reigning champion and currently sits at the top of the world rankings. The Indian former world champion has lost all 10 of her previous meetings with the South Korean, making the first-round clash a substantial challenge as well as an opportunity to test herself against the sport’s leading player.
Sindhu’s recent form offers reasons for both confidence and caution. She won the Japan Open Super 750 title in July, demonstrating that she can still compete for major tour honours. At last week’s Arctic Open, she reached the quarterfinals before losing in three games to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon. That close contest should provide useful match sharpness, but the short turnaround leaves little time to recover and prepare for An’s pace and consistency.
Against a player with An’s record, Sindhu will need to make the most of her attacking strengths while staying composed in extended rallies. A first-round victory would not only end her losing streak against the world No. 1 but also give India’s campaign a major early boost.
Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty take on tough opponents
Lakshya Sen also has a difficult opening match, facing third seed Chou Tien Chen. The Indian will be eager to rediscover his best form after an inconsistent period, although his record at the highest level shows why he remains a serious threat. Earlier this year, he reached the All England Championships final for the second time, having first finished runner-up in 2022. He is also the only Indian men’s singles player to have reached an Olympic semifinal, achieving the feat in 2024.
Injuries and fluctuating results have complicated Lakshya’s recent campaign. A back problem has affected his preparation, and his Asian Games performances underlined the contrast in his form: he beat Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the men’s team event, then exited the individual competition in the round of 32. Chou, meanwhile, arrives with a recent win over Indian youngster Ayush Shetty at the Asian Games. Lakshya will need to manage his movement carefully and find a reliable rhythm against the experienced Taiwanese player.
Ayush has another chance to build on a breakthrough period. He won the US Open Super 300 title in 2025 and attracted international attention at this year’s World Championships by defeating then-world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. His Denmark Open opponent, Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, beat him in the World Championships pre-quarterfinals, setting up a rematch that will test how much Ayush has developed since then.
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth returns to a tournament he won in 2017. He opens against France’s Arnaud Merkle, with the draw offering the experienced Indian an opportunity to make progress at a venue linked to one of the biggest titles of his career.
India’s women’s singles depth on display
India’s women’s singles contingent extends beyond Sindhu, with Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, Devika Sihag and Unnati Hooda also in the draw. Tanvi, who faces Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira, arrives as one of the country’s most promising young players after claiming her first BWF World Tour title at the Taipei Open in August.
Ashmita meets Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova after winning the Korea Masters Super 300 in August. The title gives her valuable momentum, but the Denmark Open will bring a stronger and broader field. Devika faces eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand, a challenging opener that could demand patience and strong defence from the Indian.
Unnati, meanwhile, takes on China’s Han Qian Xi. Her recent Asian Games campaign showed her ability to trouble established opponents: she reached the quarterfinals after defeating a top-10 player and pushed Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi to three games. That experience could be important as she looks to convert promising performances into consistent results on the World Tour.
Satwik-Chirag and Treesa-Gayatri lead the doubles charge
In men’s doubles, former world No. 1 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to respond after a surprising first-round exit at the Asian Games. The Indian duo had a strong run earlier in the season, winning the Singapore Open Super 750 in May to end a two-year wait for a title, then adding the China Masters crown last month.
Seeded fifth in Odense, Satwik and Chirag begin against China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu. Their recent titles underline their ability to challenge the world’s best, but the opening match will require a quick reset after the disappointment of the Asian Games. Strong service returns and sharp attacking combinations could be key to establishing control.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will spearhead India’s women’s doubles campaign. The pair made history with a bronze medal at the World Championships in August and later reached the Asian Games quarterfinals, where they lost to Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. In Denmark, they open against Chinese Taipei’s Yan Fei Chen and Hsieh Pei Shan.
India’s other women’s doubles entry, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, face sixth seeds Bao Li Jing and Cao Zi Han of China. It is a demanding draw, but the tournament provides an important opportunity for the Indian pair to test themselves against seeded opposition.
A significant week for Indian badminton
The Denmark Open presents a varied challenge for India: established stars must negotiate difficult first rounds, while younger players will look to build on recent breakthroughs. Sindhu’s clash with An and Lakshya’s meeting with Chou are among the headline fixtures, but the performances of India’s emerging singles players and medal-winning doubles teams could be just as important to the wider campaign.
With Super 750 ranking points and strong international competition on offer, every match in Odense will matter. For India’s badminton contingent, a successful week will depend on more than individual talent: fitness, tactical flexibility and the ability to recover quickly between demanding matches may prove decisive.
