Malaysia Open: Indian Shuttlers Hope For Bright Start In High-Stake Olympic Year

08.01.2024 - 11:50 sports.ndtv.com

With the Paris Olympic qualification at stake, top Indian shuttlers, including HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, will hope to begin the new season on a bright note when they start their campaign at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

A lot will be on the line for Indian shuttlers in the next four months as they zoom through a hectic calendar, hoping to get inside the world's top-16 by April end to book their berths for the Paris Games.

Frontrunner in the Olympic race, world no. 8 Prannoy, had a sensational season with maiden bronze medals at the World Championships and the Asian Games and a title-run at the Malaysia Masters super 500.

He also registered a final finish at the Australia Open super 500. The 31-year-old, seeded 8th, will hope to continue his rich vein of form when he opens against Denmark's Anders Antonsen, who made a successful comeback from an injury by winning the Korea Open in 2023.

badminton HS Prannoy Jonatan Christie Asian Games Paris Games Anders Antonsen Chirag Shetty Kidambi Srikanth Paris Olympic Denmark Australia Canada China Indonesia India Malaysia

Singles ace HS Prannoy will spearhead the Indian challenge at the Indonesian Masters Super 500 badminton tournament beginning in Jakarta on Tuesday after the pull-out of crack doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Having finished runners-up in back-to-back tournaments of Malaysia Super 1000 and India Open Super 750, the reigning Asian Games champions have given the tournament a miss with an eye on their workload with a gruelling season ahead of them. The duo's absence may have taken some sheen of the tournament, but world No. 9 Prannoy will look to keep the Indian flag high continuing his consistent run.

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'Worked On Strength During Off-Season': Shuttler HS Prannoy Ahead Of India Open

Olympic qualification is on the horizon but star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy is not looking too far ahead and focusing on the next couple of months in his bid to get into 'tournament mode' after a productive off-season. The 31-year-old Indian, who secured a maiden bronze medal at the Asian Games and World Championships in 2023, suffered a loss to Denmark's Anders Antonsen in the opening round of the Malaysia Super 1000 last week in Kuala Lumpur.

Focus On Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty As Home Shuttlers Look To Dazzle At India Open

Expectations will be high when Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty spearhead the home challenge at the India Open super 750 badminton tournament beginning in Delhi on Tuesday, hoping to annex their first silverware of the new season. With six titles in 2023, Satwik and Chirag have been a cut above the rest of the Indians, and the runner-up finish at the Malaysia super 1000 has only spiced things up as the Indian shuttlers look to deliver at home. The BAI flagship tournament, which was upgraded to super 750 in 2023, proved a dampener last season when none of the Indians could cross the second round.