After a brief hiatus, the Indian badminton star will return to top-flight international action at the Danish Open starting Tuesday. Top-ranked players Raksha Sen, HS Pranoi, Satwiksairaj Rankireddi and Chirag Shetty are back on court this week. However, PV Sindhu will be sidelined with an injury at the Commonwealth Games in July.
Following the BWF World Championships in August, the Danish Open will be the first big event to bring together top badminton players. Some Indian players have qualified for the Indian national competition and last month’s Super 100, the Vietnam Open, but the event restarts the BWF calendar at the highest level.
Let’s take a look at the draws and chances for the Indians’ game in Odense.
men’s singles
Kidambi Srikant vs Angus N Karon
Raksha Sen vs Anthony Siniska Ginting
HS Planoy vs Cho Junpeng
Honestly, this is a very tough draw for India’s men’s singles team. He has none of the seeded Indians, so he will be challenged in the first round. However, given their form this season, Thomas cannot be left out as a member of his cup-winning squad.
Laksha, who recently reached a career-high world ranking of No. 8, will begin his campaign against No. 6 seed Anthony Siniska Ginting. He has his 2-0 advantage against Ginting and this year he has twice won the German Open and Thomas his cup final.
If he wins, he will face his compatriot Pranoi (again!). They have his record of 2 wins and 2 losses, with all four of his games being played this year. Pranoi lost her 0-2 but has faced Laksha in the last two meetings, including the high-priced Indonesian Open and the World Championships.
But first, Planoy has to get over Cho Junpeng’s hurdle (again!). Peng has his 2-0 advantage and he beat Prannoy in the Indonesian Open semi-finals and World Championship quarter-finals this year (see the pattern?). Now Planoy has to fight him with an opener. A third charm?
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikant, meanwhile, faces Angus N. Karon. They have his 3-3 record, but despite some big wins, Srikanth has been shaky this season at best. If he wins, he could clash with No. 7 seed Low He Keane He Yu, who is in the same quarter as No. 1 seed and home favorite Viktor Axelsen. (Note: World No. 1 begins campaign with Kunlabut his Vitissan in a rematch of the World Championship final. Talk about unseeded road his draw!).
#Denmark Open 2022 ���� Coming soon! ��
1 more sleep. ��⌛️#HSBC badminton #BWF World Tour@HSBC Sports pic.twitter.com/XjLVmnHz8a
– BWF (@bwfmedia) October 17, 2022
women’s singles
Saina Nehwal vs Zhang Yiman
With PV Sindhu absent, Saina Nehwal became the only Indian in the women’s singles. She will face Zhang Yi Man of China, who beat her when they played against her in 2016. If Saina wins the season opener, she could face No. 5 seed Ratchanok Inthanon, who faces Kirsty Gilmore. Saina has her record of 12 wins and 7 losses, but their recent form and trajectory suggests it’s not exactly what H2H shows.
men’s doubles
Satowiksairaj Rankireddi/Chirag Shetty vs Kang Min-hyuk/Seo Seung-jae
Recent World Championship bronze medalist Satwick Chirag will take on South Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Soon Jae. The seventh-seeded Indians are far higher-ranked, but lost to them at the Korea Open in April, leveling H2H at 1-1.
Satwik-Chirag’s potential second-round match is against All-England champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, whom they won in their first meeting earlier this year, and Indonesia’s Bagas Maulana. Their potential quarterfinal opponents are their nemesis and No. 4 seeds Aaron Chia and Saw Wui Ik.
women’s doubles
Treesa Jolly/Gayathri Gopichand vs Alexandra Boje/Amalie Magelund
Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand take on locals Alexandra Boje and Amalie Magelund. This is their first meeting. A win could see him face sixth-seeded Jongkorfan Kitittarakul and Lawinda Prajongjai in the second round.
mixed doubles
Tanisha Krast/Ishaan Batnagar vs Pisa Hanintias Mentari/Linov Rivaldi
India’s Tanisha Kurast and Ishaan Vatnagar will start in their first matchup against Indonesia’s Pita Hanintias Mentari and Rinov Rivaldi. If she wins, the second seed and world championship finalists Yudai Watanabe and Arisa Higashino will be challenged.
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