For Indian badminton fans, all eyes will once again be on double silver medallist PV Sindhu when she resumes her quest for an elusive gold at the BWF World Championships beginning in Basel, Switzerland on Monday.
Sindhu has been India’s most consistent performer at the World Championships, with back-to-back silver medals and as many bronze medals in her career so far and she will like to go one step further in the 25th edition of the Worlds.
But she will have to wait for a couple of days to start her campaign after she received a bye in the first round and will open her campaign against either Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po or Bulgaria’s Linda Zetchiri.
If she wins her first match, Sindhu is likely to meet Beiwen Zhang of USA in the third round and is expected to face Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying in the quarter-finals. If everything falls in place, then Sindhu may take on compatriot Saina Nehwal in the semi-finals, provided the former world number 1 too crosses the initial rounds.
Eighth-seeded Saina, who boasts of a silver and bronze medal in the World Championships, will take on the winner of the match between Switzerland’s Sabrina Jaquet and Netherland’s Soraya De Visch Eijbergen in the second round after getting a bye. She is likely to face Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark next.
On day one however, the attention will be on India’s men’s singles shuttlers who have not had the best of times in 2019.
Here’s are the details of India’s matches on day one of the 2019 World Championships:
K Srikanth
Former world No 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who had reached the India Open finals in March, will look to put up a good show after recovering from a knee problem which he suffered ahead of the Sudirman Cup.
The seventh seeded Indian, who has gone without a title in the BWF World Tour for the last 22 months, will open against Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in a repeat of the opening clash of the 2018 edition.
Opponent’s rank: 81
Head-to-head: Srikanth leads 1-0
Previous meetings: Srikanth defeated Nguyen at 2018 World Championships 21-15, 21-16.
Sameer Verma
Tenth seed Sameer Verma, who also was bothered by a shoulder issue, is in the same half as Srikanth and will open against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
The Madhya Pradesh shuttler will face a tough challenge against second seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals if he clears the earlier rounds.
Opponent’s rank: 34
Head-to-head: Sameer Verma leads 2-0
Previous meetings: Verma defeated Yew at 2017 Asia Mixed Team Championships 21-9, 21-16 and at 2016 Thailand Masters 21-19, 21-13
B Sai Praneeth
Swiss Open finalist B Sai Praneeth will face Canada’s Jason Anthony Ho-Shue in the opening round. Seeded 16, Sai Praneeth will start as favourite in the match against the Canadian. This will be their first meeting in the circuit.
Opponent’s rank: 66
Head-to-head: No previous meetings
HS Prannoy
A last minute addition to the tournament after the withdrawals of Viktor Axelsen and Shi Yuqi, Prannoy will hope to make the most of his chance. He starts off with a very winnable fixture against Eetu Heino (Finland). This is their first meeting as well on the circuit.
Opponent’s rank: 93
Head-to-head: No previous meetings
Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram
In the women’s doubles, Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram are the only pair in action on day one. The world No 41 pair take on Diana Corleto Soto and Nikte Alejandra Sotomayor from Guatemala.
Opponents’ rank: 61
Head-to-head: No previous meetings
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