Thailand Open: PV Sindhu gets favorable draw; tough outing awaits Saina Nehwal

Thailand Open: PV Sindhu gets favorable draw; tough outing awaits Saina Nehwal

PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal

PV Sindhu

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has been handed a favorable draw but for her compatriot Saina Nehwal a relatively tougher task awaits at the Yonex Thailand Open. Both Sindhu and Saina withdrew from the Denmark Open Super 750 and the SaarLorLux Super 100 which were the only two competitions that took place after March when the COVID-19 pandemic started to wreak havoc around the world.

Now, with badminton action set to return, the Super 1000 events have started becoming the focus for all stars. The Yonex Thailand Open is scheduled to take place from January 12 to 17 and it is followed by another Super 1000 event – the Toyota Thailand Open which will take place from January 19 to 24.

Saina to open against third seeded Nozomi Okuhara

Saina Nehwal Denmark Open
Saina Nehwal

PV Sindhu will open against Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt in a match that she will be expected to win with ease at the Yonex event. Saina Nehwal on the other hand will face a very strong opponent in her very first match – Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara who is seeded third. With regard to the Toyota event, Sindhu again has it easy with a match against Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan. Saina meanwhile will face fourth seeded Thailand star Ratchanok Inthanon.

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On the men’s side, seven Indians will take part in both the tournaments including the likes of Kidambi Srikanth, Sai Praneeth and Lakshya Sen. Both tournaments won’t see the presence of Chinese players after the Chinese Badminton Association withdrew from the tournament.

Also Read: How a packet of masala chips played a role in Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap’s road to recovery