Indian badminton players eye good start to season at Malaysia Open
Kuala Lumpur. PV Sindhu, who is returning after five months due to injury, besides top players like SS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen would be looking to start the season on a winning note at the Malaysia Open starting on Tuesday. Indian players have raised hopes from last year’s spectacular performance. Qualification for Paris Olympics 2024 is also starting in May. The Indian players will face world number one Viktor Axelsen, Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the $1,250,000 Super 1000 tournament. Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu is making a comeback after suffering an ankle injury. She will play former world champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the first round.
Sindhu last played in the Commonwealth Games in August. Marin’s record against Sindhu is 9. It’s been 5 years. In men’s singles, world number 10 Sen will take on world number eight Pranay of India in the first round. While former world number one Kidambi Srikanth will face unseeded Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the first match. If he wins, he could face fifth seed Jonathan Christie. In men’s doubles, world number five pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face South Korea’s Choi Sol Yoo and Kim Wan Ho in the first round. World Championship bronze medalists Satwik and Chirag are likely to face home team Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik next.
read this also: Spanish League: Barcelona beat Atletico even in the absence of Lewandowski
Women’s singles also features Saina Nehwal, Aakarshi Kashyap and Malvika Bansod. Saina will face unseeded Han Yui of China while Aakarshi will play Chinese Taipei’s Su Wen Chi and Malvika will play Korea’s An Hsing. In women’s doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Gayatri Gopichand and Trisha Jolly will take on Hong Kong’s Yung Enga Ting and Yung Pui Lam, while Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam will take on Thailand’s S Paewasampran and Putita Supajirakul. In mixed doubles, Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto will face Netherlands’ Robin Tee and Selena Piek.
