Easy opener for Saina; Kashyap faces Hidayat in Indian Open
With top Chinese players deciding to give the tournament a miss, world No. 2 Saina Nehwal faces a relatively easy task when she opens her title bid in the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open starting in the Capital on April 23.
With top Chinese players deciding to give the tournament a miss, world No. 2 Saina Nehwal faces a relatively easy task when she opens her title bid in the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open starting in the Capital on April 23.
Saina will open her campaign in the women's singles with a match against Belaetrix Manuputi of Indonesia, whom she beat comprehensively in the All England Badminton pre-quarterfinals last month.
Top seed Saina is not expected to be troubled much in the first two rounds of the tournament and her first test may come in the quarterfinals - where she could face compatriot PV Sindhu, seeded eight.
In the absence of world No.1 Li Xuerui and No.3 Wang Yihan, Saina's biggest hurdle could be Thai sensation Ratchanok Intanon who had beaten the Indian in the All England semis.
In men's singles, eighth seed P Kashyap has been handed a tough draw as he would be starting with a match against former Olympic gold medallist and world champion Taufiq Hidayat.
Malaysian ace Lee Chong Wei has got a dream draw as he will not have to face his biggest rivals Lin Dan and World No.3 Chen Long, both from China. The two are not participating in the event. He will face Scott Evans of Ireland in the opener.
In women's doubles Jwala Gutta will pair up with Prajakta Sawant while Ashwini Ponnappa will partner Pradnya Gadre.