<p>Prominent Indian shuttlers, such as HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen, have been dealt challenging draws for the India Open Super 750 badminton competition next month. This is because they are preparing to take advantage of home court advantage while qualifying for the Paris Olympics is at risk.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-332823″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-india-open-super-750-home-favorites-overcame-difficult-draw-download-2023-12-30t17.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com india open super 750 home favorites overcame difficult draw download 2023 12 30t17″ width=”1178″ height=”707″ title=”India Open Super 750: Home Favorites Overcame Difficult Draw 3″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-india-open-super-750-home-favorites-overcame-difficult-draw-download-2023-12-30t17.jpg 290w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/theindiaprint.com-india-open-super-750-home-favorites-overcame-difficult-draw-download-2023-12-30t17-150×90.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1178px) 100vw, 1178px” /></p>
<p>Indian shuttlers will try to pick up vital points in the Yonex-Sunrise India Open, which will take place at the Indira Gandhi Stadium from January 16 to 21, as the race to Paris enters its last stretch.</p>
<p>Athletes like Kidambi Srikanth, Sen, and Priyanshu Rajawat will be fighting for the second Indian berth at the Games, while gold medallists at the Asian Games Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, as well as bronze medalist Prannoy, will try to improve their standing in the global rankings.</p>
<p>The Olympic qualifying criteria state that two men’s singles players from India are only eligible to compete in the Games if, on April 30, they are both rated in the Top-16.</p>
<p>Sen, who won gold in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will play Rajawat in an all-Indian first round, while Prannoy, ranked ninth, will play Chou Tien Chen of China Taipei.</p>
<p>If he passes the first round obstacle, he will square up against the victor of Sen vs Rajawat.</p>
<p>Former champion Srikanth, who is now ranked 24th in the race to Paris rankings, will play Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in the first round and may face reigning champion Kunlavut Viditsarn of Thailand in the second round.</p>
<p>In the first round of the men’s doubles tournament, World No. 25 Fang-Jen Lee and Fang-Chih Lee of Taipei will be the opponent for past champions and second seeds Satwik and Chirag. It is anticipated that they will go further in the competition.</p>
<p>The women’s doubles teams of Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand are likewise in a fierce competition to qualify for the Olympics.</p>
<p>Treesa and Gayatri, all England semi-finalists, will face fourth-seeded Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan in their tough opening match. In the first round, Ashwini and Crasto, who made three straight finals to close 2023 on a high note, will take on World No. 10 Thai pair Rawinda Prajongjai and Jongkolphan Kititharakul.</p>
<p>PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic winner, will not compete because she is still healing from a left knee injury she suffered in October during the French Open. She may not return until February.</p>
<p>According to a press statement from BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra, “all our Olympic hopefuls will have a good chance of using the home conditions to earn valuable points and even win the title.”</p>
<p>“With more elite players taking part, it will also be an amazing chance for spectators to see some incredible action.” Defending champion An Se Young of South Korea will meet three-time champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in one of the other highly anticipated first-round matches. Another notable matchup pits Spain’s Carolina Marin against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.</p>
<p>In the men’s singles bracket, Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei will be the first opponent for top seed Viktor Axelsen, while former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore will take on third seed and defending All England champion Li Shi Feng of China.</p>
<p>The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the organizer of the tournament, which was moved from the Super 500 to the Super 750 level last year.</p>
<p>Additionally, as the BAI has chosen to maintain free admission, badminton enthusiasts may enjoy seeing almost all ten of the players in the current global ranking compete at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall for free throughout the course of the six days.</p>
