Saina Nehwal to Satwik-Chirag – A look at all India Open badminton winners

The third edition of the India Open Super 750 is all set to begin at the KD Jadhav Indoor Arena in Delhi on Tuesday. Top Indian players including the likes of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen and others will be in action during the event.

The India Open has been held annually since 2008, except for 2020 and 2021 when the tournament was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The India Open was held as a Grand Prix gold event for its first three editions before being upgraded to a Superseries tournament. It was then upgraded to a Super 500 event in 2018 before being further pushed up to Super 750 in 2023.

Though India Open became a regular feature in the BWF calendar only in 2008, the event was held for the first time in 1973.

Here, we take a look at all the Indian shuttlers, who have won the India Open titles:

Prakash Padukone in 1981

The legendary Prakash Padukone was the first Indian shuttler to clinch the India Open title. He achieved this feat in 1981 – a year after his historic triumph at the All England Open.

Padukone beat China's Han Jian 9-15, 15-5, 15-12 in the men's singles final to win the India Open in Pune. 

Saina Nehwal in 2010, 2015

The 2012 London Olympics medallist Saina Nehwal is the only Indian shuttler to win the India Open title twice. She first achieved the feat in 2010 before repeating it five years later in 2015.

Nehwal entered the 2010 India Open Grand Prix as the top seed in women's singles and lived up to the expectations. She beat Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo in the final 20-22, 21-14, 21-12 after conceding a hard fought first game.

Meanwhile, Nehwal was up against Ratchanok Intanon in the final in 2015. The Indian veteran enjoyed a much straight forward contest this time, taking down the Thai shuttler 21-16, 21-14 in straight games.

Jwala Gutta-Valiyaveetil Diju in 2010

Jwala Gutta and Valiyaveetil Diju are the only Indian mixed doubles pair to taste triumph at the India Open. They won the title alongside Saina Nehwal more than a decade back in 2010.

Gutta and Diju got the better of Singapore's Chayut Triyachart and Yao Lei 23- 21, 20-22, 21-7 in a tough battle. They were the only doubles pair from the country to have won the home title until Rankireddy and Chirag's exploits 12 years down the line.

Kidambi Srikanth in 2015

Kidambi Srikanth became the second Indian men's singles shuttler to win the India Open title in 2015 – the same year when Nehwal won her second title.

It was a fantastic week for Srikanth, who beat Japan's Kento Momota in just the second round. He then went to get the better of a certain Viktor Axelsen 18-21, 21-13, 21-12 to win the title.

PV Sindhu in 2017

PV Sindhu left her mark at the India Open in 2017 – a year after her Olympic silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games – to become only the second Indian women's singles shuttler to win the title.

Fittingly, Sindhu took down Carolina Marin – the Rio Olympics gold medallist – 21-19, 21-16 in straight games to win her home title.

Lakshya Sen in 2022

It took India five more years after Sindhu's title in 2017 to get a home champion at the India Open. Lakshya Sen ended the title drought in 2022 when he beat Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 24-22, 21-17 in the men's singles final.

Sen had earlier beaten fellow Indian HS Prannoy in the quarter-finals of the then Super 500 event.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in 2022

Rankireddy and Shetty became the first Indian men's doubles pair to win the India Open title, the same year as Sen. They took down Indonesia's Hendra Setiawan and Mohammed Ahsan 21-16, 26-24 in a tense final.