JAPAN Sindhu has eyes on third title win
New Delhi, Sept. 18: Newly-crowned Korea Open champion P.V. Sindhu will aim for a third super series title this season even as Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal return to action at the $325,000 Japan Open starting with the qualifiers in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Sindhu, who beat Minatsu Mitani last week in the Korea Open, will again face the Japanese in the opening round in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old avenged her Glasgow World Championship final loss to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara on Sunday, beating her in a pulsating final at the Korea Open for her second super series title of the season.
Sindhu might face world champion Okuhara in a third consecutive tournament if she beats Mitani and the latter defeats Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi in their opening matches.
World no. 8 Srikanth will face a tricky opener against China’s world no. 10 Tian Houwei. Srikanth, Saina Nehwal will be in action against Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong, an opponent she had defeated en route to her Malaysia Masters title early this year
who had also reached the Singapore Open final, has lost six times to Houwei in their seven meetings.
Glasgow bronze medallist Saina will be in action against Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong, an opponent she had defeated en route to her Malaysia Masters title early this year.
Unseeded Saina might clash with two-time former world champion and reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the second round if she wins and the Spaniard beats China’s Chen Xiaoxin.
Parupalli Kashyap will be up against Denmark’s Emil Holst in a qualifying match.
In the main draw of the men’s singles, H.S. Prannoy, B. Sai Praneeth and the Verma brothers — Sameer and Sourabh — will all be in action.
US Open champion Prannoy faces Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, while Praneeth and Sameer will square off against qualifiers. Sourabh faces China’s former world no.1 Lin Dan.
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy meet fifth seeded Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the mixed doubles opening round, while Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki face South Korea’s third seeded pair of Chang Ye Na and Lee So Hee.
In the qualifying round, Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy face Malaysia’s Jian Yi Lee and Zhen Ting Lim, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty take on Japan’s Hirokatsu Hashimoto and Hiroyuki Saeki in men’s doubles.