India Open: Can Lee Chong Wei snap his disappointing streak?

In the midst of a worrying slump in form, world No.1 Lee Chong Wei will hope to effect a turnaround at the India Open. The top seed won the tournament in 2011, but lost a close final last year to Shon Wan Ho of Korea.

Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in action during Day 6 of the Yonex All England Badminton Open at NIA Arena on March 10, 2013 in Birmingham, England. (Getty Images)

This year, however, Lee is not looking as invincible as in earlier years. Although he won the Korea Open and Malaysia Open Superseries earlier in the year, he was outclassed in the final of the All England – falling to Chen Long in straight games. Worse was to follow – the Malaysian ran into the young Chinese, Tian Houwei in the final of the Australian Open last week and he was outplayed after an hour and 21 minutes. Suddenly, the Chinese seem to have worked him out. If Chong Wei can work past the draw and win the final, he will be a relieved man.

The first two rounds should be comfortable for him – Scott Evans (first round) and Wong Wing Ki (HK) or Kazumasa Sakai (Jpn) in the second. He will have to be wary of Wong Wing Ki, against whom he just about survived in the first round of the All England, after saving two match points.

Probably his stiffest test could come from India’s P Kashyap in the quarterfinals (assuming both reach there). Kashyap, in flow and against an opponent slightly below his best could be a difficult opponent, and with the crowd behind him, will have an even chance against Chong Wei. If the Malaysian gets into the semifinals, it’s hard to spot anyone who can stop him from winning the title, for the top Chinese are missing from the event.

The only Chinese in the draw is the young Chen Yuekun, and it would be unwise to count him out. Yuekun has had some impressive results in his young career, especially the Macau Open GP Gold win in December, where he beat an impressive field including the likes of Hu Yun (HK), Guru Sai Dutt (Ind) and teammate Gao Huan in the final.

The men’s singles draw is marked by the near-absence of big names. Most of the seeds, like No.2 Sony Dwi Kuncoro, No.6 Kenichi Tago (Jpn), Sho Sasaki (Jpn, 8) or Boonsak Ponsana (Tha, 7), are either way past their prime or are in a form slump, and as such the Indians have a great opportunity to perform before their countrymen.

Kashyap plays Taufik Hidayat in the first round, and it’s a match that could go either way. Kashyap will be favourite, but everything depends on Taufik’s state of mind going into the match. The second round would be against Suppanyu of Thailand – another beatable proposition for the Indian.

Ajay Jayaram plays eighth seed Sho Sasaki (Jpn) first – the Indian won their last encounter, at the Hong Kong Open in 2011. The second round will be against Chen Yuekun or Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka (Indonesia).

The Indian with the most favourable draw is Sourabh Verma, who plays a qualifier in the first round before a potential meeting with the out-of-form Kenichi Tago. Sourabh has the opportunity to make the semifinals should he play at his best. The Indian crowd will have plenty to cheer, and it should be an eventful week.