India Open 2024: Preview, Squads, When And Where To Watch, LIVE Streaming Info, Tickets; All You Need To Know
Expectations will be high as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty spearhead the home challenge at the India Open super 750 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday, hoping to annex their first silverware of the new season.
With six titles last year, Satwik and Chirag have been a cut above the rest, and the runner-up finish at the Malaysia super 1000 has only spiced things up as the Indian shuttlers look to deliver at home.
While Satwik-Chirag will be one of the frontrunners for the title, all eyes will also be on HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth in men’s singles, especially in the absence of two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, who is nursing a knee injury.
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Having fared poorly in Malaysia, world No. 8 Prannoy and Lakshya will look to find their rhythm quickly, while Srikanth must have got some confidence back following his win over Jonatan Christie in the opening round last week.
Prannoy and Sen will look for a good start, having suffered first-round exits in Kuala Lumpur, when they open against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen and Priyanshu Rajawat respectively.
“India Open has always been special. Since 2012, I have been playing in this tournament and I have a lot of good memories. Having a 750 stature is big for Indian badminton as fans can now see top players perform closely.
“So there is a lot of hunger to go out there and win this tournament,” said Prannoy, who won the world championships and Asian Games bronze medals in 2023.
Srikanth, the 2021 Worlds silver medallist, looked in good touch during his Malaysia Open first round and it will be important for him to go deep into the tournament which he won in 2015, keeping the race to Olympic qualification in mind.
The former world No.1 will open against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
It is a two-way race for the second spot in the Olympic qualification with Srikanth, a 2016 Rio Olympic Olympian, currently ranked 24th and Sen ahead at 17th spot. Prannoy at eighth remains the frontrunner.
The Olympic race in women’s doubles is also getting interesting with the new pair of Ashwini Ponnappa, a two-time Olympian, and Tanisha Crasto, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly — both ranked 14th in Olympic Games qualification — doing well.
Men’s singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat, Kidambi Srikanth
Men’s doubles: Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Women’s doubles: Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand
India Open super 750 badminton tournament will take place from January 16 to 21 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
India Open 2024 matches will be telecast live on Eurosport TV channels and live streaming of the same will be available on Jio Cinema. The matches can also be watched free on BAI India’s official YouTube channel.
Free passes for next day matches will be available starting January 15, 2024, on a first-come-first-serve basis. You can collect the passes from Gate No. 7 of the IG Stadium complex between 10 am and 4 pm. Availability is limited, so make sure to grab yours early.
With inputs from PTI