India’s two top women’s singles shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have been drawn to meet in the final of the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia. The two top seeds were given a first-round bye in the draw for the individual events that was released on Tuesday.
In the men’s singles draw, world No 2 Kidambi Srikanth is the top seed and is primed to meet Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei, seeded second, in the final. However, before that, Srikanth could face world No 22 Rajiv Ouseph in the semi-finals if the two get there.
World No 12 HS Prannoy was, meanwhile, placed in the same half of the draw as Chong Wei and the two could meet in the semis. Both Indian shuttlers also received a first-round bye, as did women’s singles eighth seed Ruthvika Shivani Gadde.
Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponappa, seeded second, are in the bottom half of the women’s doubles draw and have received a bye to the round of 16. Australia’s Gabby Sommerville and Setyana Mapasa are the top seeds and will also receive a bye to the pre-quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the red-hot pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will start their campaign in the round of 16, having been seeded second. The world No 20 pair should have no trouble reaching the final, where they will most likely face the favourites and top seeds, Malaysia’s Wee Kiong Tan and V Shem Goh.
Of the two Indian mixed doubles pairings, only Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra are seeded. The fourth seeds will receive a bye to the Round of 32. The Adcocks, Gabby and Chris from England, are also in the same half of the draw, and will not make it easy for the Indians.
Ponappa and Rankireddy are the only Indian contestants not to receive a bye as the unseeded pairing will start off in the Round of 64 against Guernsey’s Chloe Le Tissier and Stuart Hardy. There are four seeds in the top half of the draw for the Indian pair to overcome if they are to reach the finals, including the top seeds from Malaysia, Shevon Jemie Lai and Soon Juat Goh.