Arctic Open Super 500: Sindhu, Sen eye-comeback after setback in Paris

Indian badminton players Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu. | Photo credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Star shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will lead the Indian contingent at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament starting here on Tuesday as they eagerly look to regain their momentum on the international stage after a medal-less performance at the Olympics in Paris.

This tournament marks the first appearance for Sindhu and Sen since the Olympics, and they are keen to reset their goals. The duo has reassessed their performances and made changes to find their rhythm again. Sindhu has roped in Anup Sridhar and Korean legend Lee Syun Il as her new coaches, following her previous coach from Indonesia, Agus Dwi Santoso.

Sen, who narrowly missed out on a medal in Paris, spent time at the Red Bull Arena in Austria for a physical assessment.

In the opening round, Sindhu, who played in the round of 16 in Paris, will face renowned rival Michelle Li of Canada, while Sen, who lost in the bronze play-off, will compete against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke.

Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu is favored to beat Li and could face 18-year-old Japanese sensation Tomako Miyazaki, the 2022 world junior champion, an opponent to whom she lost at the Swiss Open earlier this year in the next round .

For Sen, it is a chance for revenge against Gemke after losing to him at the 2023 India Open. If he overcomes Gemke, he could face seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Kidambi Srikanth, who returns to action at the Macau Open after a four-month injury layoff, will compete in the qualifiers alongside younger compatriots Kiran George and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran.

Former world number one Srikanth will take on George, while Sathish will take on France’s Arnaud Merkle.

In women’s singles, besides Sindhu, the in-form Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap are also in the fray.

Malvika, who reached the quarter-finals at the China Open Super 1000, will open against world number 24 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei, while Aakarshi will face Yvonne Li of Germany in the first round.

Another promising player, Unnati Hooda, who won the 2022 Odisha Masters, will face Israel’s Heli Neiman in the qualifiers.

While there will be no Indian representation in the men’s doubles, Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will compete in the women’s doubles, and Sathish will partner Aadya Variyath in the mixed doubles. PTI