Thailand Open 2018: PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy lead the Indian challenge

After quarter-final exit from the Indonesia Open last week, top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy will attempt to finish this week with a title as they get their campaign going at the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Wednesday. India was supposed to field a full-strength squad at this Super 500 tournament, but Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth made last-minute withdrawals and opted to rest and recover ahead of the World Championships.

Sindhu, the second seed at this tournament, does not have a lot of obstacles before the final, where she is slated to take on the top seed Akane Yamaguchi. In fact, it would be quite a surprise if the India No. 1 does not reach Sunday’s summit clash.

She begins her challenge against the World No. 43 Linda Zetchiri of Bulgaria. A quarter-final against the sixth seed Nitchaon Jindapol and then a semi-final against former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Michelle Li look possible, if the seeds hold up.

Yamaguchi herself has a couple of challengers in her half of the draw, though. World champion Nozomi Okuhara is the fourth seed and could have a say. Okuhara is no less a threat for Sindhu if she manages to overcome her own compatriot and reach the final.

The other Indian in the women’s singles draw is the rising star Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka. The teenager takes on the eighth seed Sayaka Sato.

Can Prannoy continue the fireworks?

HS Prannoy

In the men’s singles draw, the fourth seeded HS Prannoy will be hoping to continue the good form that he showed in Indonesia, when he defeated Lin Dan on his way to the last-eight. However, the Kerala shuttler cannot take his first round opponent lightly. Pablo Abian will be heading to Thailand right after tasting title glory at the White Nights International Challenge, and would definitely try to make it difficult for the Indian.

Seventh seeded Kazumasa Sakai, who beat Prannoy in Indonesia last year, is expected to be his quarter-final opponent. Rajiv Ouseph, who dashed his medal hopes at the Commonwealth Games, is likely to meet Prannoy in the semi-finals.

There is ideally no one to push him hard even in the lower half of the draw after a series of withdrawals. Prannoy could very well meet his own countryman, Sameer Verma in the final.

Verma is seeded eighth and starts off his campaign against the former World No. 9 Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, a local star. While the latter’s ranking has slid in recent times, he could still make Sameer work hard for the win.

Verma should next meet the winner of the opener between Qiao Bin and Tommy Sugiarto, and that could be one encounter that won’t be very easy for the Indian. Fifth seed and World No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto is the highest seed remaining in Sameer’s half of the draw and the two are on course for a semi-final clash.

Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap is the third Indian in the draw. Following the pull-out of Srikanth, Kashyap now has an easy opener against World No. 66 Jason Anthony Ho-Shue.

In men’s doubles draw, there are five Indian pairs led by the India No. 1 team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The two are seeded eighth and take on Bodin Isara and Maneepong Jongjit.

National champions Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy have a tougher task as they face the fourth seeds Chen Hung Ling and Wang Chi-Lin in the first round.

The lone Indian pair of Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram will carry Indian hopes in women’s doubles while national mixed doubles champions Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa make a return to the circuit after their stunning show at the Commonwealth Games.

Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh make up the other Indian pair in mixed doubles.