The 115th edition of the world's oldest badminton tournament, the All England Open, got underway on March 14 in Birmingham with some high-quality matches. Much to the delight of Indian fans, both the Indians on the schedule on the first day — HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen — made a winning start to their campaigns.
While Sen made a statement win with a 21-18, 21-19 victory over World No. 5 Chou Tien Chen, Prannoy got the better of World No. 24 Wang Tzu Wei 21-19, 22-20.
Both players notably suffered first-round exits in their respective last tournaments. The wins should boost their confidence ahead of a tough week at this Super 1000 event in Birmingham.
On Wednesday, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth will look to draw inspiration from their compatriots as they begin their own campaigns.
Sindhu is still struggling to get back to her rhythm following a five-month injury layoff. She also recently parted ways with her coach Park Tae-sang. It remains to be seen how the two-time Olympic medalist performs in her new set-up when she locks horns with World No. 17 Zhang Yi Man.
Former top-ranked men's singles shuttler Srikanth, who is searching for his first win of the year, has drawn 25th-ranked Toma Junior Popov in the first round.
In men's doubles, sixth seed Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will cross swords with Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala in an all-Indian first-round clash.
Last year's women's doubles semifinalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have an uphill task against seventh seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.
All England Open 2023 schedule
Venue: Utility Arena Birmingham.
Tournament category: BWF World Tour Super 1000.
First round: March 14-15, 2023.
Second round: March 16, 2023.
Quarterfinals: March 17, 2023.
Semifinals: March 18, 2023.
Finals: March 19, 2023.
Matches for the first few days are likely to start at 10 am local time / 3.30 pm IST.
All England Open 2023 telecast channel list in India
The All England Open is being broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Tuesday, March 14. The matches can also be streamed live on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV as well.
Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software throughout the tournament.
Full list of Indian contingent playing at All England Open 2023
Men's singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth.
Women's singles: PV Sindhu.
Men's doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila, Krishna Prasad Garaga/Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala,
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam.