Kunlavut Vitidsarn and An Se Young made a fine start to 2023, winning titles at the India Open. Few months down the line, the two of them would go on to be crowned World Champions in Copenhagen. As the race to Paris 2024 heats up, the two defending champions and reigning Worlds gold medallists will be back in New Delhi alongside a galaxy of badminton stars as the capital hosts the 2024 edition of the India Open Super 750 starting from Tuesday.

The India Open has been the prime BWF event in the country for more than a decade, but last year saw a significant upgrade as the tournament was moved up to Super 750 status, just two levels below the top grade on the World Tour.

For starters, as one of the six Super 750 events on the circuit, BWF mandates that a group defined by rankings as ‘Top Committed Players’ will be required to play, barring injuries and medical situations.

As one of the two major events in January, especially at the start of an Olympic year, the quality of badminton at the tournament will be as close to world-class as it can get.

From an Indian perspective, for the players who travel around the world in a packed calendar, constantly on the move, hopping in and out of flights and hotel rooms, India Open gives a chance to enjoy home comfort.

Fond memories

For HS Prannoy, India’s top singles shuttler heading into the event, that means a lot. “To have a tournament of Super 750 stature is something very big for us. Especially for the fans, they can see a lot of top players closely, which doesn’t happen that often, that’s the best part. There are a lot of good memories associated with this tournament, for me now, there is a hunger to win it,” the 8th seed, who will start with a tough fixture against Chou Tien Chen, said on Monday.

Prannoy is yet to win the tournament but India Open has a special place in his heart. He fondly remembers 2013, when he came through qualification to enter the main draw and get the chance to face the man he grew up idolising: Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat. And going on to win that match no less, before taking on Lee Chong Wei. He might not have won the event yet, but it gave him the platform to make a name for himself.

“Definitely 2013 is special. To defeat Taufik, and then play Chong Wei was one of those biggest moments. Post that, I haven’t had great results at the India Open as such. But just to see a lot of known faces coming to support you, is very special. They don’t always get to see us play live, we go to 18-19 tournaments a year around the world and only one of those major events is in India. So it feels like home, really where you have so many people invested in your results, traveling to watch us, putting in that effort,” Prannoy told The Indian Express.

While Lakshya Sen hasn’t had the best of recent runs, India Open 2022 gave him his first Super 500 title as he overcame the World Champion then in Loh Kean Yew. While that was a Covid-impacted tournament, in 2023 he got to experience the home support even if he couldn’t make the most of it.

“Last year I remember, in my second-round match against Rasmus Gemke, the crowd was constantly behind me even when I was down. I was playing miserably at that time in the third game, but the crowd was shouting my name, it’s good to have that feeling,” Lakshya quipped. He will take on a good friend Priyanshu Rajawat in the opening round as he looks to reignite his hopes of reaching Paris.

For fans, players, and even aspiring shuttlers alike, the tournament is an exciting prospect, says BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra. “The standard of the tournament goes up when all these top players come. Even junior shuttlers get to see what is the level they must aspire to. Our players can also enjoy that local support. Unfortunately, in 2022 we couldn’t make the most of that. But it is a boost. And this time, with the tournament being part of the Olympic qualification cycle, the actual world-class level will be seen,” Mishra told this daily.

The possible flip side to this is that, unlike in the past, many of the local shuttlers outside the top-ranking groups might miss out. But Mishra says it is imperative to see this level of competition for a benchmark to be set. “It means our players also have to increase their rankings, and better their training to make the cut. You can’t be satisfied just getting entries to Syed Modi Super 300 and be happy. We are hosting 7 international tournaments, and there are now enough chances to earn rankings at home. And hopefully, in the future, we will upgrade India Open to Super 1000 after 2026,” he added.

As a Super 750, which has higher ranking points available, the organisers don’t have to put in too much effort to bring in the top players. “When it was Super 500, we used to work extra hard to invite big names to come and play, try to convince federations and such. That’s the biggest difference over the last two years,” Mishra said.

Indian players promoted up

After the confirmation of withdrawals – a list that got lengthier than ideal – the good news for the Indian contingent is the promotion of a few more players into the main draw. Kiran George and Satish Kumar Karunakaran (men’s singles), Aakarshi Kashyap (women’s singles), Dhruv Kapila-MR Arjun and Krishna Prasad-Sai Pratheek (men’s doubles), Ashwini Bhat-Shikha Gautam and Rutaparna Panda-Swetaparna Panda (women’s doubles) have earned a chance to play.

But all eyes will be on Satwik-Chirag, fresh from their fine run to the final at Malaysia Open, Prannoy and Lakshya – who could potentially meet in the second round – as the Indian contingent looks to make amends for the missed opportunity in 2023. The tournament getting an upgrade is good for the game in general, but to see a home title winner in the end is the real marker.

Star attractions at India Open 2024

In the lead up to India Open, the withdrawal of three world No 1s and three other former world champions took some sheen off the strength of the field. Prominent among them are Viktor Axelsen and Carolina Marin, both huge crowd favourites in Delhi. Flagbearers of Indian badminton for years, both PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal are absent as well.

But despite that, here’s the cream of the crop that will be in action:

India’s top stars: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Srikanth Kidambi

Reigning World Champions: Kunlavut Vitidsarn, An Se Young, Kang Min Hyuk & Seo Seung Jae, Chae Yoo Jung & Seo Seung-Jae

Current World No 1: An Se Young, Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang

Reigning Olympic Champions: Chen Yufei, Lee Yang & Wang Chi Lin

Global superstars: Tai Tzu Ying, Ratchanok Intanon, Akane Yamaguchi, Jonatan Christie, Anthony Ginting, Lee Zii Jia, Aaron Chia / Soh Wooi Yik