PV Sindhu and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have gotten first-round byes but the two-time Olympic medalist faces a tough road in the BWF World Championships 2023, starting August 21 in Copenhagen.
Sindhu, who is the only Indian in the Copenhagen contingent to win a World Championships Gold, will take on the winner of the first-round clash between Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Thuy Linh Nguyen in the second round. Okuhara has been struggling with a win-loss record of 1-6 in the ongoing season, showcasing no glimpses of her dominant self from the past.
If Sindhu manages to go past the second-round hurdle, she is likely to face 7th seed Ratchanok Intanon in a tough third-round test.
Notably, World No. 1 and top seed An Se Young is also in Sindhu’s quarter. The Indian will need a miraculous turnaround in form to go all the way in the prestigious world meet.
Sindhu’s ability to step up at the biggest of stages in well-documented. Apart from a Gold medal, Sindhu also has two silver and as many bronze medals at the World Championships.
Sindhu’s performance in 2023 has been marked by a series of first-round exits. She has lost the opening round in seven tournaments, a stark contrast to her previous record of consistent performances. This includes her early exit from the Japan Open 2023, where she was defeated by China’s Zhang Yi Man. This marked her seventh opening round exit in 13 BWF World Tour 2023 tournaments, indicating a worrying trend for the celebrated athlete.
CAN PRANNOY SHINE?
India’s men’s singles challenge will be led by in-form HS Prannoy, seeded second in the upcoming event. He will will face Kalle Koljonen of Finland.
The other Indians in the fray in men’s singles — Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth — will play Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius and Kenta Nishimoto of Japan respectively in the their first-round matches.
Prannoy has been the most consistent Indian singles player in the last 12 months, and is currently ranked ninth in the world. He won the Malaysia Masters in May before finishing second best in last week’s Australian Open.
Both Prannoy and Lakshya are drawn in the half that also has top seed Vikator Axelsen.
SATWIK AND CHIRAG GET BYE
Meanwhile, World No. 2 pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have also been handed first-round bye.
n women’s doubles, India have fielded two pairs. While the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand received a first-round bye, Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam will be up against Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen of the Netherlands.
Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy will take on the Scottish pair of Adam Hall and Julie MacPherson in the opening round of mixed doubles, while the other Indian combination of Venkat Prasad and Juhi Dewangan will face Jones Ralfy Jansen and Linda Efler of Germany in their campaign opener.
