Former champion Lakshya Sen has been drawn in an all-Indian opening-round clash against the promising Ayush Shetty, while former world champion P.V. Sindhu will take on Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament, scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from January 13 to 18.
One of the most prestigious events on the HSBC BWF World Tour, the India Open will shift from the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium to a larger multi-purpose hall within the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex. The tournament will also serve as a test event, with the venue set to host the BWF World Championships in August later this year.
Indian players did not receive any favours in the opening draw. From the home contingent’s perspective, Lakshya’s clash with former world junior bronze medallist Ayush means only three of the four Indian men’s singles players in the draw can advance to the second round. The winner of this match is likely to face fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei or Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto.
Among the other Indian men’s singles players, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will open his campaign against world No. 12 Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei, a bronze medallist at the 2024 Thomas Cup. A potential second-round encounter could see Srikanth face Christo Popov, who made history last month by becoming the first French player to win the BWF World Tour Finals men’s singles title.
H.S. Prannoy, who entered the main draw following the withdrawal of Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, will begin his campaign against last edition’s finalist Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong.
In women’s singles, Sindhu will face Nguyen, against whom she has lost her last two meetings. The Vietnamese shuttler, currently ranked 22 in the world, was among the most improved players on the circuit last year. Should Sindhu progress, she could meet second seed Wang Zhi Yi or China’s Gao Fang Jie in the second round.
Malvika Bansod, returning after a long injury layoff and competing using her protected ranking, will take on Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei in the opening round.
In doubles, former champions Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been handed a relatively comfortable opener against USA’s Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith. Their first major test could come in the quarter-finals, where they may face China’s eighth seeds Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi.
Two-time All England semifinalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will meet Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai, with a possible second-round clash against Chinese seventh seeds Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.
In other notable first-round matches, top seed An Se Young will face former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, while third seed Akane Yamaguchi is set to take on compatriot Riko Gunji.
IANS
