‘Big Three retain top stature’
Badminton star B. Sai Praneeth says the trinity of Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long will be top title contenders at the World Championship in Glasgow, beginning on August 21.
World no. 2 Lee, five-time winner Dan and Olympic gold medallist Long have dominated international badminton for a long time though Indian shuttlers, including Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth and H.S. Prannoy, have enjoyed recent success against the trio. But Praneeth said despite their recent wins, the formidable trio still remain a force to reckon with at big events.
“If you see Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei, they are always preparing for big events. We did beat them in Super Series and that gives us confidence. But I guess, it is okay for them to lose a Super Series because they have won so much in their career,” Praneeth was quoted as saying on Friday.
“Chen Long didn’t win any Super Series event and then won the Olympic gold medal in Rio. Lee Chong also didn’t win much but won the All England, same for Lin Dan,” Praneeth observed stating that Super Series wins won’t be an indicator of what to expect at marquee events.
“So I think only if we can beat them in big events, then we can claim that they are beatable.”
Prannoy defeated Lee Chong and Chen Long at Indonesia Super Series and Srikanth beat the latter in the Australia Open final. Praneeth, himself, had defeated Lee Chong at the 2016 All England Championship.
Talking about his preparation ahead of his maiden World Championship, Praneeth said: “I have prepared well. My training was good and that makes me confident. I just want to perform. There will be a bit pressure but we need to overcome that in a big event. “It is a big tournament and we had a six-week gap and initially first four weeks were tough. As we approached the tournament, we increased the quality and reduced the quantity. I am fit and I am ready for the World Championship,” he added.
The Hyderabad-born shuttler hopes to enter the top-10 this year.
“This year, my aim is to play the Super Series Final in Dubai. If I play that then automatically, it would mean my ranking goes up. So I want to good performances in Super Series so that I get an entry at Dubai,” said Praneeth.