The 2026 Japan Open Super has begun today, on the 14th of July and is being held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The tournament has a prize fund of USD $950,000 and will feature many of the world’s top badminton players.
This tournament is one of the mandatory stops before the BWF World Tour, which makes it a key opportunity for players to earn valuable ranking points ahead of the World Championships in New Delhi next month and the Asian Games later this year.
India has a strong contingent led by Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, and the men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Youngsters Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda are also a part of the team and will look to make a deep run to improve their world rankings.
In the women’s singles, defending champion An Se Young headlines the field alongside China’s Wang Zhi Yi and Chen Yu Fei, while four-time Japan Open champion Akane Yamaguchi leads the home challenge.
Speaking about India’s first-round matches, Lakshya Sen will face Japan’s Kenta Watanabe, while Ayush Shetty will take on former World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
PV Sindhu will open her campaign against Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia, and Unnati Hooda will face Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag will begin their campaign against Denmark’s Mads Vestergaard and Daniel Lundgaard.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand withdrew at the last minute, leaving India with no representation in that category, while Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto and Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Gadde will headline the Indian mixed doubles challenge.
No Indian badminton player has won a title at the Japan Open to date. Live streaming of Japan Open 2026 badminton matches will be available to watch on the BWF TV YouTube channel in India.
Japan Open 2026: Indian Badminton Squad –
1. Men’s singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty
2. Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun-Hariharan Amsakarunan
3. Women’s singles: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda
4. Women’s doubles: NA
5. Mixed doubles: Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto
