Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, who have not been in their best form this season, will look to end their title drought when they begin their campaign at the Australia Open badminton tournament here on Tuesday. This will be the last chance for them to regain their touch ahead of the World Championships to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Pics: AFP)
Updated On: 2023-07-31 04:59 PM IST
Compiled by : Raaina Jain
The 2019 world champion, PV Sindhu hasn’t been at her best since her recovery from an injury as she has repeatedly made early exits in as many as seven of the 12 BWF World Tour events this year.
The two-time Olympic medallist will still hope to find her best self and try out some of her tricks when she takes on compatriot Ashmita Chaliha in the opening round here.
Kidambi Srikanth too has not been able to weave a series of wins in a week. He showed glimpses of his hay days when he thrashed Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen with his trademark attacking game at Japan Open before losing to fellow Indian HS Prannoy.
The former world number one will have to curb his errors when he takes the court against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto.
For India, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and the World No. 2 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been the most consistent performers this season.
Satwik-Chirag duo has decided to skip Australia Open to prepare for the World Championships (August 21 to 27). This week, Prannoy is pitted against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu, while Sen, who had won the Canada Open, will face China's Lu Guang Zu in their opening rounds.
