Aman Farogh Sanjay eyes podium finish at Benin International badminton tournament

Aman Farogh Sanjay is optimistic about a good performance at the Benin International 2021 Badminton tournament, which will get underway in Cotonou, Benin on Wednesday.

The four-day Future Series tournament will be organized by the Badminton Confederation of Africa under the auspices of Badminton World Federation.

Aman Farogh Sanjay will be the lone Indian to participate in the tournament, as Sankar Muthusamy Subraninan, who was seeded second, and Anirudh Janardhanan have both withdrawn due to travel difficulties.

Aman, who is 21 years old, will lock horns with local player Josaphat Kognanou in the first round on Thursday. Aman is ranked 616 in the world, while Kognanou of Benin is ranked 935.

Aman is expected to cruise through in the first round. In the second round, he will take on third seed Habeeb Temitope Bello of Nigeria, who is ranked 258 in the world.

Southpaw Aman is likely to face sixth seed Robert Summers of South Africa in the quarter-finals. Summers is ranked 299 in the world. World No. 243 Camilo Borst of Germany is the top seed in the tournament. Since Aman is in the top half, he might run into Borst if he reaches the semis.

"I have prepared really well this time" - Aman Farogh Sanjay

Although the draw is tough for Aman, the Thane youngster is hopeful of putting up a brilliant performance in his second international tournament of the season.

“I hope to get a medal in Benin. I have prepared well this time and everything is looking fine with my form. I am absolutely fit for the challenge. If I manage to play my best, I can certainly make inroads into the tournament,” said Aman.

The Khelo India Youth Games champion in 2019, Aman participated in the Lithuanian International Future Series Badminton tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania in June. He did not live up to the expectations a couple of months ago.

"I want to forget that tournament and look ahead. The Lithuanian tournament was the first one for me after a long time. However, I have worked hard on my weak points in the last two months and am feeling a lot more confident about my game,” added Aman.

Aman was No. 1 in India in the Under-19 boys singles and dominated the national junior circuit for two years. Head coach of the Thane Badminton Academy, Shrikant Vad rates him quite highly and is optimistic about his ward’s success at the upcoming tournament.