Overview
- Play begins Tuesday in Kumamoto at a BWF Super 500 event with a total purse of USD 475,000.
- Lakshya Sen, seeded seventh, opens against Japan’s world No. 25 Koki Watanabe after a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open and quarterfinal runs in Denmark and Hylo.
- HS Prannoy resumes competition against Malaysia’s Jun Hao Leong following a month-long break after retiring hurt at the Korea Open, having yet to go beyond the second round in 14 World Tour events this year.
- Emerging Indians draw tough first-round tests: Ayush Shetty meets top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Tharun Mannepalli faces Jeon Hyeok Jin, and Kiran George plays a qualifier.
- In doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde face Americans Presley Smith and Jennie Gai, with Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy not competing and 17-year-old Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye starting in women’s singles from the qualifiers.