Sydney: Badminton enthusiasts worldwide are eagerly anticipating the Australian Open 2023 BWF Super 500 tournament, featuring top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, among others. The prestigious event is scheduled to take place from August 1 to 6 at the State Sports Centre in Sydney and will be live-streamed in India.
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will be aiming to rediscover her form after facing a challenging year on the court. The fifth-seeded Sindhu, in Australia, has struggled in her recent competitions, suffering first-round exits in seven out of the 13 BWF World Tour 2023 tournaments she has participated in. Despite her difficulties, the 28-year-old remains a formidable competitor, currently ranked 17th in the world.
Sindhu, who is yet to win a title this season, had an impressive run in the Madrid Spain Masters, where she reached the final before losing to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. Her upcoming campaign at the Australian Open will begin with a match against compatriot Ashmita Chaliha. Malvika Bansod and Tasnim Mir will also feature in the women’s singles main draw.
In the men’s singles, India’s Lakshya Sen, the Commonwealth Games champion, will seek to extend his purple patch. The 21-year-old has made it to the top four in his last three tournaments, including a title win at the Canada Open in July and semi-final appearances at the Japan and US Opens.
Other Indian shuttlers, such as HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, will also vie for glory in the men’s singles category. Prannoy, seeded sixth in the tournament, faces a tough challenge against world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in the round of 32, while Srikanth will take on Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in his opening match. Priyanshu Rajawat will also be part of the main draw.
India will not have a direct entry in the men’s doubles, as the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who recently clinched the Korea Open title, opted to skip the tournament. However, the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will represent India in the women’s doubles main draw.
Notably, the results of the Australian Open will contribute to players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The badminton qualification window commenced on May 1 this year, adding an extra layer of significance to this prestigious tournament. Badminton enthusiasts worldwide will be keenly following the thrilling matches in Sydney as the players vie for top honours and valuable Olympic qualification points.
Australian Open 2023 badminton: Indian squad
Men’s singles:
Main draw: Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Mithun Manjunath, Kiran George
Women’s singles:
Main draw: PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, Tasnim Mir, Ashmita Chaliha
Men’s doubles:
Main draw: –
Qualifiers: Kush Chugh/Aman Nandal
Women’s doubles:
Main draw: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa
Qualifiers: N Sikki Reddy/Arathi Sara Sunil
Mixed doubles
Main draw: Rohan Kapoor/N Sikki Reddy, B. Sumeeth Reddy /Ashwini Ponnappa
Comments