Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, K Srikanth and HS Prannoy headline the national contingent at the India Open World Tour 500 tournament, earlier known as India Open Superseries, beginning Wednesday in New Delhi.
Nehwal, Sindhu and Srikanth got favourable draws, which was helped by the fact that many of the world’s top players have chosen to skip the tournament. The trio should face no trouble reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
Srikanth, Prannoy and China’s Shi Yuqi are the only three from the world’s top 10 men’s singles players who are participating in the India Open. The women’s singles draw is slightly tougher, with four of the world’s top 10 playing – Sindhu, Carolina Marin, Ratchanok Intanon and Beiwen Zhang – along with Nehwal, who is currently ranked 12th.
Srikanth is drawn to meet Yuqi in the semi-finals and should face no trouble getting there. However, his fitness is suspect as he hasn’t played an international tournament since the Dubai World Superseries Finals in December.
The 24-year-old had injured himself after the senior Nationals in November, which forced him to pull out of the China and Hong Kong Superseries. Srikanth played the Premier Badminton League but got injured again during the tournament. He did not participate in the Malaysia and Indonesia Masters this month.
Srikanth said he was looking forward to playing on the circuit starting with the India Open. He opens his campaign against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu on Wednesday. “There are still a number of big tournaments [this year], starting with the India Open and I am just looking forward to them,” he told reporters.
Fresh challenge
Defending champion and top seed Sindhu, who had a great 2017 where she reached the finals of the world championship and the Superseries Finals, apart from winning two Superseries titles, is viewing the India Open as a fresh challenge.
“It’s important to stay fit and give my best,” she said. “Each round is going to be tough so I will be taking one match at a time. Yes, I won last year but it’s a different year and I am just looking to give my best.”
Sindhu takes on Denmark’s Natalia Rohde in the first round and, barring any surprises, her first real challenge will come in the form of former world champion Ratchanok Intanon in the semi-finals.
Nehwal, who is in the bottom half of the draw, will face another Dane, Sofie Dahl, in the opening round. The Indonesia Masters silver medallist could face world No 10 Zhang in the quarter-finals and, if she gets through that, Marin in the semis.
“The India Open is a good opportunity for me to get back to winning ways,” said Nehwal, who lost to world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying in straight games in the final of the Indonesia Masters on Sunday. “It is a competitive field but I have a good record in the tournament so I’m hopeful of a good show,” she added.
Second seed Marin is taking the India Open as preparation for one of her main goals for the season – winning the All England Open in March. “I have played all big tournaments because I value these tournaments, and also, having turned out for three – the Malaysian, the Indonesian and the Indian Open – it also helps me prepare better for the All-England Championship,” said Marin, who will face Thailand’s Mattana Hemrachatanun in the first round.
Prannoy will take on qualifier Shreyansh Jaiswal in his opening match, and could face P Kashyap in the second round. Also in the upper half of the draw is Singapore Open champion B Sai Praneeth, who will face Rajiv Ouseph of England in the first round.