Testing times await home-grown shutters in India Open

When the world’s top 25 ranked players are part of the 32-man field in singles and 17 of the top-16 players are around in the women’s field, one can expect nothing but the best

For once, it is a truly world class field. Clearly stronger than what one gets to witness in the Olympic Games. The country’s flagship badminton event - the $900,000 India Open - is back with stars like never before. Enhanced prize-money and the upgrade to Super 750 on the Badminton World Federation calendar.

When the world’s top 25 ranked players are part of the 32-man field in singles and 17 of the top-16 players - with the exception of Chinese Taipei’s World No. 3 Tai Tzu Ying - are around in the women’s field, one can expect nothing but the best.

Needless to say, a number of World and Olympic champions and medallists are around in all five sections. Indeed, for a badminton lover in the country, the best place to spend this week is at the Indira Gandhi Stadium’s K. D. Jadhav indoor hall here.

In this elite mix, to expect World No. 10 Lakshya Sen to defend his title is rather unfair. Seeded seventh, Lakshya runs into teammate World No. 8 H. S. Prannoy in the campaign-opener for the second time in a week. The 2021 World champion bronze-medallist will be looking to prevent Prannoy from playing his all-attacking game. Since Lakshya has better speed and on-court movement, Prannoy will have to continue to finish the point at the earliest in order to repeat his triumph.

K. Srikanth, drawn to play World and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the first round on Wednesday, could again find it tough to advance against a man fresh from winning the Malaysia Open on Sunday.

Among the ladies, P. V. Sindhu is back from the stress fracture on her left knee and eager to regain the title. Though her first round exit to former World and Olympic champion Carolina Marin last week is not much to go by, Sindhu sounded confident on the eve of the opening match against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong.

Last year, Sindhu lost to Supanida in the India Open but avenged the loss in the Syed Modi International and repeated the dose in the Swiss Open, all in three games.