Fresh from ending a two-year title drought and returning after a brief injury layoff, India’s top men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will spearhead the country’s campaign at the USD 950,000 Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday.The third-seeded duo, who pulled out of the Indonesia Open last month after Satwik aggravated a recurring shoulder injury, will be eager to resume from where they left off after ending a two-year title drought with the Singapore Open crown.They begin their campaign against Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard.India’s singles challenge will once again rest on Lakshya Sen, P V Sindhu and the rapidly rising Ayush Shetty, while several doubles combinations will look to make deep runs at one of the biggest events on the BWF World Tour.Lakshya, a finalist at the All England Championships earlier this year, will open his campaign against Japan’s Koki Watanabe. The world No. 14 has enjoyed a steady season with multiple quarterfinal appearances, though his early exit at the Indonesia Open came as a surprise.Ayush, who has emerged as one of India’s brightest prospects, faces a stern opening test against second seed and former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. The 20-year-old has continued his upward trajectory after winning the US Open Super 300 last year and finishing runner-up at the Badminton Asia Championships this season.Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu will take on Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in the women’s singles, while teenage talent Unnati Hooda will face Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun in her opener.Sindhu has consistently featured in the latter stages of tournaments this season but is still searching for her first title since lifting the Syed Modi International crown in 2024.Unnati, meanwhile, will hope to translate her promise into results after struggling to progress beyond the opening round at higher-tier events despite winning the Polish Open earlier this year.In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun, who were part of India’s bronze medal winning team at the Thomas Cup earlier this year, will face Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the opening round.Mixed doubles pairs of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, also have contrasting opening assignments.While Dhruv and Tanisha meet Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson, Rohan and Ruthvika will face a daunting challenge against top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China.