All eyes will be on Canada Open champion Lakshya Sen as he spearheads the Indian challenge at the Yonex US Open 2023 along with PV Sindhu this week. The Super 300 tournament will be held at the Council Bluffs in Iowa, USA, from July 11-16.
Sen is seeded third and starts his campaign against World No. 55 Kalle Koljonen. The Indian is in the same half as the second seed and reigning All England Open champion Li Shi Feng, the very player he beat to lift his maiden trophy of the season at Calgary last Sunday.
The US Open Badminton men's singles draw is headlined by World No. 4 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, another player Lakshya Sen scalped on his way to the title.
It remains to be seen if the World No. 12 can finish his North American swing with double glory.
Like Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, too, had a rise in the latest world rankings after her semifinal finish at the Canada Open. The two-time Olympic medalist, who is now three spots up to No. 12, has received the third seeding at the US Open Badminton.
After kickstarting her challenge against American qualifier Disha Gupta, Sindhu could run into fifth seed Wen Chi Hsu in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she could find herself facing the top seed and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, a player who has a 9-4 lead over the Indian in their head-to-head.
Sindhu is still seeking her first title of what has been a lackluster season by her lofty standards. With the Asian Games coming up in September, the 28-year-old is desperately looking to get back to winning ways.
Other Indians who will be seen in the single's main draws are Sai Praneeth and S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian on the men's side and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani on the women's.
Former World Championships bronze medalist Praneeth has his work cut out against World No. 7 Li Shi Feng in the opener. Qualifier Subramanian, meanwhile, takes on eighth seed Nhat Nguyen. Ruthvika Shivani in the women's singles draw faces World No. 55 Lin Hsiang Ti.
India had only one pair in doubles — the men's doubles duo of Krishna Prasad Garaga/Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala, who have already exited the competition in the first round.
US Open Badminton 2023: Schedule
Qualifying: July 11, 2023
First round: July 11-12, 2023
Second round: July 13, 2023
Quarter-finals: July 14, 2023
Semi-finals: July 15, 2023
Finals: July 16, 2023
Matches for the first few days are likely to start at 9 or 10 am local time/ 7.30 or 8.30 pm IST.
US Open Badminton 2023: Telecast channel list in India
The US Open Badminton 2023 will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Thursday, July 13. The matches will also be shown on Jio Cinema.
Live streaming will be 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 US Open Badminton 2023 (Main draw)
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, Sai Praneeth, S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian
Women's singles: PV Sindhu, Gadde Ruthvika Shivani
Men's doubles: Krishna Prasad Garaga/Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala