All eyes will be on Lakshya Sen, who made a strong impression at the Paris Olympics with a fourth-place finish. Unseeded in this tournament, Lakshya will kick off his campaign against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, with whom he has a 1-1 record. A win would set up a potential rematch of his Olympic quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen, a player Lakshya defeated in one of his best performances. He’s also in the same quarter as top seed Anders Antonsen, who currently leads their head-to-head 4-2.

If Lakshya can bring his Olympic form, he has the potential to beat any opponent, but maintaining mental strength under pressure will be crucial, as that was a factor in missing a medal at the Olympics. His focus should be on reaching more finals and big matches as the season wraps up.

Other Indian players are in the qualifying rounds, including Srikanth, who recently returned after four months out due to injury. He’ll face top seed Kiran George, with the winner advancing to the main draw. Sathish Karunakaran will face France’s Arnaud Merkle.

In doubles, India has a smaller presence. There is no Indian men’s doubles team in this tournament, which has a strong field of top pairs. Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will compete in women’s doubles, and Sathish will team up with Aadya Variyath in mixed doubles.