Favorable Group Stage Draw for Indian Stars
Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu and rising star H.S. Prannoy have received a favorable draw for the upcoming Paris Olympics badminton competition. The draw, held in Kuala Lumpur, placed Sindhu and Prannoy in relatively manageable groups, potentially paving the way for a smoother path to the knockout stages.
Sindhu’s Quest for a Third Olympic Medal
Sindhu, a seasoned Olympian with a silver medal from Rio 2016 and a bronze from Tokyo 2020, is seeded 10th in the women’s singles event. Her group stage opponents include Kristin Kuuba of Estonia (ranked 75th) and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq of the Maldives (ranked 111th). While Sindhu is expected to comfortably advance from her group, she could face a potential challenge in the round of 16 against China’s sixth-seeded He Bing Jiao.
Prannoy’s Olympic Debut
Prannoy, making his Olympic debut, has been seeded 13th in the men’s singles event. He will face Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat (ranked 70th) and Germany’s Fabian Roth (ranked 82nd) in the group stage. With his favorable seeding and a relatively weaker group, Prannoy is poised to make a strong start in his Olympic journey.
Lakshya Sen’s Uphill Battle
The second Indian in the men’s singles draw, Lakshya Sen, faces a tougher challenge. Unseeded and ranked 19th, Sen is grouped with the third seed and world No. 3, Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. The group also includes Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon (ranked 41st) and Belgium’s Julien Carragi (ranked 52nd). Sen’s previous encounters with Christie have resulted in a 1-4 head-to-head record, making this a daunting task for the young Indian shuttler.
Summary
The Paris Olympics badminton draw has brought mixed fortunes for the Indian contingent. While P.V. Sindhu and H.S. Prannoy received favorable group stage draws, Lakshya Sen faces a formidable challenge against the world No. 3, Jonatan Christie. The women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also find themselves in a difficult group. The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, eagerly await their draw, which was postponed due to a Court of Arbitration of Sport hearing.
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