Badminton News: Indian badminton players have secured a tough draw at the 2023 Asian Badminton Championships to be held in Dubai from April 25 to May 6.

PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy in singles and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in doubles are India’s favorites in this event.

While Sindhu and Prannoy are seeded eighth in their respective singles draw, Satwik-Chirag are seeded sixth in men’s doubles.

Sindhu, who just played his first final on the BWF HSBC World Tour 2023 at the Madrid Spain Masters, will face Wen Chi Hsu in a tricky opener. The Indian badminton player, who has yet to regain his peak form, is set to face China’s Han Yue in the second round and the season’s fittest player An Se Young, the 2023 England champion, in the quarter-finals .

However, youngsters Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap will be knocked out in the first round as they face two big names namely Akane Yamaguchi and Ratchanok Intanon. Veteran Saina Nehwal, meanwhile, is set to face Chinese giants He Bing Jiao in the second round.

In men’s singles, Prannoy, ranked 9th in the world. and Kidambi Srikanth earned an easy draw when they faced underdogs Pyae Naing and Adnan Ebrahim in their respective first-round clashes. But they can face defending champion Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia and Japanese representative Kodai Naraoka in the second round.

Lakshya Sen, India’s third men’s singles player in action, had a tough match in the first round, facing the world rankings. 7 Loh Kean Yew. Despite winning, Lakshya is set to face Jonatan Christie in the round of 16.

Satwi/-Chirag, who won their first World Tour this year at the Swiss Open, will start their campaign against Malaysia’s Tan Kian Meng and Tan Wee Kiong. In the second round, they could face the No. 3 pair, Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan. Satwik-Chirag will have to overcome tough challenges to secure a place in the top four.

Article Tags: India, Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, Asian Badminton Championships 2023