PV Sindhu will look to turn her French Open runner-up finish into another title challenge, while Lakshya Sen gets an opportunity to regain momentum as the Hylo Open 2026 begins in Saarbrücken, Germany, on October 27. The BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament will run until November 1 at the Saarlandhalle, with a total prize pool of USD 500,000.
For India, the six-day competition arrives at a crucial stage of the international badminton calendar. Sindhu enters the tournament with encouraging form despite falling short in Paris, while Sen will be keen to put a difficult run of results behind him. Young Indian shuttlers, including Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda, will also be looking to make their presence felt against a strong international field.
The Hylo Open regained its Super 500 status for the 2025 and 2026 editions, raising the stakes for players seeking valuable ranking points and a significant share of the prize money. Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie and Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt won the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively in 2025.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu arrives in Germany after finishing runner-up at the French Open Super 750. The Indian took the opening game against world No. 1 An Se Young before losing the final 16-21, 21-11, 21-12. Despite the defeat, Sindhu’s performance offered encouragement. Winning the opening game against the Korean demonstrated her ability to challenge the world’s leading player, even though An Se Young ultimately extended her winning run.
Sindhu, ranked 11th in the world in the supplied tournament preview, also defeated Japan’s Hina Akechi in the French Open semifinals. Her title victory at the Japan Open in July has further underlined her ability to compete for major honours on the World Tour. Having missed the 2025 Hylo Open while recovering from a foot injury, Sindhu will be looking to make the most of her return to Saarbrücken. A strong week could provide a timely boost as she continues her campaign against the world’s leading shuttlers.
Men’s singles will see Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty carry significant expectations for India. Sen, the seventh seed, withdrew from his opening-round match at the French Open on medical grounds, ending his campaign in Paris before he could compete. The Commonwealth Games champion will now have an opportunity to reset in Germany.
Seeded seventh, he faces a competitive draw featuring Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, the top seed, followed by France’s Christo Popov and Alex Lanier. Defending champion Jonatan Christie is seeded fourth, while Japan’s Kodai Naraoka is fifth. Shetty, seeded eighth, will also attract attention after retiring hurt against Naraoka at the French Open while trailing 17-21, 6-11. His fitness and ability to sustain his performance across matches will be important factors in determining how far he can progress.
Women’s singles player Ashmita Chaliha will be another Indian to watch after producing one of the standout performances of her career at the French Open. The 27-year-old defeated three-time world champion and then-world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi 21-19, 21-18 in 37 minutes, registering a major win against one of the sport’s most established players.
Although Chaliha subsequently lost to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the quarterfinals, her performance in Paris provided a strong confidence boost. She also won her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Korea Masters Super 300 earlier in 2026, giving her another milestone to build on in Germany. Unnati Hooda will also be looking to improve on her previous performance at the tournament, having reached the semifinals in 2025.
Hylo Open 2026: Dates, venue and prize money
Dates – October 27 to November 1, 2026
Venue – Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany
Tournament category – BWF World Tour Super 500
Total prize money – USD 500,000
Full list of Indian players at Hylo Open 2026
– Men’s singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Tharun Mannepalli, HS Prannoy, Kiran George and Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian (qualifying).
– Women’s singles: PV Sindhu, Ashmita Chaliha, Devika Sihag, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, Isharani Baruah, Unnati Hooda, Anmol Kharb and Meghana (qualifying).
– Men’s doubles: Achutaditya and Arjun (qualifying).
The Hylo Open offers India an opportunity to turn promising performances into consistent results. Sindhu has the experience to challenge the leading contenders, while Sen will be eager to rediscover his rhythm. Chaliha’s recent breakthrough and the progress of younger players such as Shetty and Hooda add further interest to India’s campaign. The key will be consistency across the week.
Against a field featuring established champions and highly ranked opponents, isolated wins will need to be followed by equally disciplined performances in subsequent rounds. For Indian badminton, the tournament is not only about chasing titles but also about building confidence and maintaining competitiveness on the World Tour. With the action beginning in Germany, the performances of Sindhu, Sen and the wider Indian contingent will be closely watched.
