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The BWF World Tour moves to Singapore for its next event - Singapore Badminton Open 2024. This is a Super 750 event and begins on Tuesday, May 28. Due to the Paris 2024 Olympics being less than two months away, the tournament assumes even greater importance.
For Indian players as well, the Singapore Open holds great importance. PV Sindhu showed signs of recovering her form in the recently completed Malaysia Masters.
After a series of early exits, she managed to reach the finals of a World Tour event. Sindhu will be up against better players in this tournament, so it will be a good indication of her current standing in women's singles division.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have emerged as India's best performers in the sport. Having triumphed in Malaysia Masters, they go into this tournament also as top seeds. The Indian pair would look to continue their winning momentum.
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Let's take a detailed look at the Singapore Badminton Open's leading stars and their prospects.
Women's singles ft. PV Sindhu
The leading player in women's singles and the current world champion, An Se Young will be in action in Singapore. She is the top seed in the women's singles division.
Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei is the second seed, followed by three-time world champion Carolina Marin. Apart from Chen, China is also represented by the winner of last week's Malaysia Masters, Wang Zhi Yi.
Two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi will lead the Japanese challenge, while Ratchanok Intanon is Thailand's most high-profile player. Both these shuttlers would, interestingly, face each other in the first round.
PV Sindhu will be in focus after her much-improved effort in Malaysia Masters. She starts her campaign with a match against Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt. However, in the second round, she could run into Carolina Marin. This would be a very important match and will give us a fair idea of Sindhu's prospects for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Men's singles, ft. HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen
After winning the Malaysia Masters, Viktor Axelsen will look to keep his winning momentum going in Singapore. He is seeded No. 1 in the tournament and will face India's Lakshya Sen in the first round.
China's Shi Yu Qi is the second seed, while Indonesia's Jonatan Christie is seeded third. Indonesia's other big hope is Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who is seeded seventh.
Asian Championships runners-up Li Shi Feng is also in the fray. The Chinese players reserve their best for major tournaments. With the Olympics drawing near, one can expect them to raise their game.
For India, the positioning of Lakshya Sen in the draw is unfortunate. However, HS Prannoy, the other major contender from the country, has a better draw, as he is seeded eighth. His biggest hurdle could come in the third round where he might face Christie.
Kidambi Srikanth will also feature in the event. He faces the No. 5 seed Kodai Naraoka in the first round. In the third round, he could take on Shi Yu Qi.
Doubles divisions, ft. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
India's best chance of a triumph in this tournament comes in the men's doubles division. The pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are top seeds in the event.
It's only in the semi-final stage that they are expected to find some real resistance. The Indonesians have a massive presence in the draw with as many as five pairs in the fray. The Satwik-Chirag pair will likely face one of them in the semis.
Asian champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang are the second seeds. Defeating them, if they reach the finals, will be important for India's leading doubles pair.
In the women's doubles, the pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand will begin their campaign against Taiwan's Cheng Yu-Pei and Sun Yu Hsing. But if they get through them, the top seeds might await them in the second round.
Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa are also playing in the Singapore Open. In all, there are four Indian duos in contention. It would not be wrong to say that Treesa-Gayathri are the most likely to make a mark.
