Newly-crowned world champion Loh Kean Yew, along with silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, will be the top draw at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022 scheduled to be held from January 11-16 in New Delhi.
After winning his maiden World Championships, Loh will try to maintain his dream form at this Super 500 tournament.
World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will also be the star attractions at the USD 400,000 event.
Srikanth named men's singles top seed at India Open 2022
Former World No. 1 Srikanth has been named the top seed in men’s singles at the India Open 2022, followed by the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist Sai Praneeth.
HS Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap and Sameer Verma are among the other Indian participants alongside experienced Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia.
Sindhu gets top billing in women’s singles
World No. 7 Sindhu has been given the top seeding in the women's singles category. The India Open field also includes London Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, who lifted the title in the 2015 edition.
Other young Indian shuttlers, including Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha, will also be in the fray. Among the top international names participating in the India Open are World No. 12 Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand and Singapore’s Jia Min Yeo.
Ace men’s doubles pair Ahsan-Setiawan of Indonesia to feature in India Open field
The country’s star men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be the key attraction in the men’s doubles category at the India Open.
However, they are set to face stiff competition as the line-up includes three-time world champions and World No. 2 Indonesian pair Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
Another Indonesian duo, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who are currently ranked eighth in the world, will also add to the competition.
In women’s doubles, the World No. 9 pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai from Thailand will be the top duo.
Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy will lead the Indian challenge alongside the pair of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly.
The mixed doubles competition will witness the participation of three top-20 pairs.
The 2022 India Open to be held without spectators
The 11th edition of the World Tour Super 500 tournament will mark a return after a two-year break due to COVID-19 pandemic. The week-long tournament will be played at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall at Indira Gandhi Stadium under strict COVID protocols and without spectators.