Dubai Super Series Finals: Easier Draw For PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth Faces Tough Battle
PV SIndhu's stiffest test in Group A will come from Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, Kidambi Srikanth will have open his campaign against World No.1 Viktor Axelsen.
- Posted by Santosh Rao
- Updated: December 11, 2017 08:16 pm IST
Highlights
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PV Sindhu given an easier draw in Dubai Super Series Finals
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Sindhu's stiffest test will be against Akane Yamaguchi
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Kidambi Srikanth to open campaign against Viktor Axelsen
PV Sindhu will begin her women's singles Dubai Super Series Finals campaign against China's Hi Bingjiao on Wednesday. The season-ending tournament will be played in a round-robin format and the Indian star is in a tricky Group A along with World No.2 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, World No.15 Sayako Sato also of Japan and No.9 ranked Bingjiao. Meanwhile, in a much tougher draw for men's singles star Kidambi Srikanth, the Indian shuttler is in Group B and has been clubbed with World No.1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, World No.7 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei and No.8 ranked Chinese Shi Yuqi.
In the women's singles event, Group B will consist of world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, Sung Ji Hyun of Korea (world number 5), Ratchanok Intanon (world number 6) of Thailand and Chen Yufei (world number 8) of China.
The tournament will, however, be missing two top players in Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain and world champion Nozomi Okuhara.
Sindhu is going into the tournament with a lot of confidence having clinched the India Open Super Series and Korea Open Super Series, besides bagging the silver at Glasgow World Championship and finishing runners-up at Hong Kong Open this season.
Srikanth, the other Indian in the fray, will be up against Axelsen in the tournament opener on Wednesday.
Srikanth has also been at the peak of his powers this season. He became the only Indian, and the fourth player ever, to win four Super Series titles in a calendar year.
He won the Indonesia Open, Australia Open, Denmark Open and French Open before he was forced to miss the China Open and Hong Kong Open owing to a thigh muscle strain, which he had sustained at the Nationals in Nagpur last month.
(With PTI Inputs)