The HYLO Open 2025, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, kicks off this week in Saarbrücken, Germany, bringing one of the most competitive fields of the late-season circuit.
For India, the tournament presents both a critical opportunity and a formidable challenge. With several top players seeking valuable ranking points to qualify for the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals, the stakes are high but the opening-round draws have proved exceptionally demanding. Running from October 28 to November 2, 2025, the HYLO Open sits at a pivotal point in the BWF calendar. As one of the final Super 500 events before the season-ending Finals, it offers 9,200 ranking points for the champion and a total prize purse of $475,000.
For India’s shuttlers, those ranking points are crucial: several players, including Lakshya Sen, Unnati Hooda, and Anmol Kharb, are in the midst of tight qualification battles. But the tournament’s importance extends beyond individual ambitions. It’s also a barometer of India’s broader badminton structure a test of depth, adaptability, and the ability of its younger players to convert promise into performance on European soil, where tactical variations and playing conditions often differ sharply from Asia.
Men’s Singles: Pressure on Lakshya, Intrigue Around Youth
India fields a deep men’s singles contingent, but the draws have been anything but kind.
Lakshya Sen, ranked World No. 17, begins against defending champion and 5th seed Christo Popov of France a clash that headlines the Indian challenge. It’s a pivotal match for Sen, who needs to arrest a pattern of early exits on the World Tour this year. His opponent, Popov, arrives in strong form, known for his aggressive style and superior court coverage. For Sen, tactical patience and control will be key to reversing the trend that has seen him struggle to advance beyond early rounds in several Super 500 and Super 750 events.
Meanwhile, the draw also throws up an all-Indian first-round meeting between Kidambi Srikanth and Kiran George, ensuring at least one Indian entry in the Round of 16. While that guarantees ranking points, it also underlines an ongoing issue: internal clashes that prevent multiple players from progressing deep into the same event. Both men have shown flashes of form this season Srikanth as a runner-up at the Malaysia Masters, George with solid Super 300 performances but consistency remains elusive.
Among the emerging names, Ayush Shetty, the reigning US Open champion (Super 300), faces Canada’s Victor Lai in a late-evening encounter. Shetty, one of the most exciting young prospects in Indian badminton, now faces the crucial test of translating Super 300 success to the more competitive Super 500 stage. His ability to sustain attacking intensity against physically stronger opponents will be closely watched.
At the same time, S. M. Subramanian takes on Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in what could be a valuable experience-building opportunity for the Chennai shuttler. For Subramanian, the focus will be on earning ranking points and gaining exposure against a regular World Tour player.
Women’s Singles: Youthful Squad Faces European Experience
India’s women’s singles contingent features seven players one of the largest at any Super 500 event this year but all are under 25. With PV Sindhu sitting out the remainder of the season, this tournament becomes a testing ground for India’s young women’s circuit, which has shown promise but still lacks the consistency of its senior predecessors.
The headline clash features Unnati Hooda, currently World No. 34, who takes on Brazil’s Juliana Viana Viera (WR-59). Hooda enters the tournament with confidence, having reached multiple semifinals this year. Against Viera, she will look to impose her speed and front-court control to make a strong start and push toward the Round of 16 a result that could significantly boost her ranking heading into the off-season.
Another intriguing matchup involves Anmol Kharb (WR-40) against Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen (WR-32). The 18-year-old Indian has been one of the standout emerging talents of 2025, reaching the semifinals at the Arctic Open. Facing a seasoned European opponent will be a tactical test of her ability to handle long rallies and defensive variations areas that have often troubled Indian players on the European circuit.
Elsewhere, Shriyanshi Valishetty, who captured the Al Ain Masters (Super 100) earlier this season, faces third seed Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt (DEN) in one of the toughest first-round draws. For Valishetty, the match is more about exposure and experience at the top level than immediate results. The Indian contingent also features Aakarshi Kashyap against Neslihan Arin (TUR), Aditi Upadhyaya versus Polina Buhrova (UKR), Santhosh Ramraj against Clara Azurmendi (ESP), and Tanya Hemanth taking on the fourth seed Lin Hsiang Ti (TPE). Among these, Kashyap’s encounter offers the most realistic chance of progressing beyond the Round of 32.
Collectively, this young women’s squad faces a demanding set of challenges but also a unique opportunity to measure their readiness for higher-level competition.
Satwik-Chirag Crash Out in First Round of French Open 2025: A Rare Early Exit for India’s Top Duo
India’s doubles representation at the HYLO Open is notably thin a reflection of the ongoing structural gap in the national setup. There are no entries in Women’s Doubles, and just one pairing each in Men’s and Mixed Doubles.
In Men’s Doubles, the pair of Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. (WR-40) face France’s Christo and Toma Junior Popov a formidable challenge given the French duo’s experience and synergy. Interestingly, Christo will also play in men’s singles earlier in the day against Lakshya Sen. If that match is physically demanding, fatigue could become a factor later in the evening. The Indian pair will need to exploit longer rallies and keep the tempo high to have a fighting chance.
Hylo Open 2025: Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth Lead Indian Challenge in Saarbrücken
In Mixed Doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde (WR-33) take on the Taiwanese-Canadian combination of Lai J. B. T. / Lai C. Ranked just outside the world’s top 30, Kapoor and Gadde are seeking a strong result to stabilize their position and secure direct entries into Super 750 events in 2026. A first-round win here would go a long way in achieving that.
Beyond the individual matches, India’s performance in Saarbrücken holds broader strategic implications. Consistency at the Super 500 level has become India’s major challenge. Frequent first-round exits particularly from high-ranked players like Lakshya Sen have limited ranking progress, while the absence of established doubles units continues to restrict the nation’s collective point accumulation.
The Round of 16 (R16) remains the minimum benchmark for success, yielding 3,600 BWF points and a crucial morale boost. For the younger players, reaching that stage would represent progress, while for the veterans, anything less will only heighten scrutiny ahead of the next Olympic cycle.
India’s HYLO Open 2025 Schedule
Men’s Singles
- 1:30 PM – Leong Jun Hao (MAS) vs S. M. Subramanian (IND)
- 1:35 PM – Lakshya Sen (IND) vs Christo Popov (FRA)
- 3:20 PM – Kidambi Srikanth (IND) vs Kiran George (IND)
- 10:30 PM – Victor Lai (CAN) vs Ayush Shetty (IND)
Women’s Singles
- 1:40 PM – Shriyanshi Valishetty (IND) vs Line H. Kjaersfeldt (DEN)
- 2:25 PM – Julie D. Jakobsen (DEN) vs Anmol Kharb (IND)
- 2:30 PM – Santhosh Ramraj R. S. (IND) vs Clara Azurmendi (ESP)
- 3:10 PM – Juliana V. Viera (BRA) vs Unnati Hooda (IND)
- 4:00 PM – Aditi Upadhyaya (IND) vs Polina Buhrova (UKR)
- 5:50 PM – Neslihan Arin (TUR) vs Aakarshi Kashyap (IND)
- 6:30 PM – Lin Hsiang Ti (TPE) vs Tanya Hemanth (IND)
Men’s Doubles
- 10:20 PM – Krishnamurthy Roy P. / Sai Pratheek K. (IND) vs Christo Popov / Toma Junior Popov (FRA)
Mixed Doubles
- 11:10 PM – Rohan Kapoor / Ruthvika Shivani Gadde (IND) vs Lai J. B. T. / Lai C. (TPE/CAN)
With tough openers across the board and qualification stakes running high, the HYLO Open 2025 promises a revealing week for Indian badminton. Whether the veterans can steady the ship and the youngsters can rise to the occasion will define not just this tournament but India’s trajectory heading into the 2026 season.
