Bangkok: Premier Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth need to shrug off the disappointments of the last two weeks. Currently both PV Sindhu and Srikanth are gearing up for the highly-competitive HSBC BWF World Tour Finals. The tournament starts here Wednesday.
World champion and Olympic silver medallist Sindhu had won the prestigious BWF title in 2018. She has been clubbed in Group ‘B’ alongside top-ranked Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Also in the group are home favourites Ratchanok Intanon and Pornpawee Chochuwong.
Sindhu’s comeback to international badminton after the coronavirus-induced break was not as good as she would have expected. She lost in the first round of the Thailand Open. In the second event last week, Sindhu suffered a demoralising straight games defeat against former world champion Ratchanok in the quarterfinals. Sindhu will certainly have to improve as she opens her campaign against Ying. Incidentally she reached the finals in both the Thailand Opens.
Former World No.1 Srikanth, has been clubbed in men’s Group ‘B’ with Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei and Hong Kong’s NG Ka Long Angus. Srikanth has beaten all the three in the past. Srikanth had reached the semifinals of BWF Super Series Masters Finals in 2014. However, in recent times his preparations haven’t been up to the mark.
Srikanth had pulled out of the first Thailand Open ahead of the second round due to a calf muscle pull. In the second event he was forced to withdraw after the opening round last week. It happened after his roommate B Sai Praneeth tested positive for COVID-19.
Sindhu is lucky to have made the main draw in spite of her current No. 10 rank. This is because of two rules. First, only two players from a nation can make it to the singles draw. This out Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan as higher-ranked Rathchanok and Pornpawee made the cut.
The second one was the week-long mandatory quarantine period for players. It ruled out Chinese and Japanese players as they had withdrawn from the Asia leg due to COVID-19.
The Indian duo will have a tough task taming their rivals in the tournament. Their head-to-head records against their opponents are nothing to be flattered about.
Sindhu has a dismal 5-15 record against Tzu Ying, who beat the Indian in their last two meetings. Ratchanok on the other hand enjoys a 5-4 record advantage. Against Pornpawee, her third opponent in the group, Sindhu has a 3-1 record. But the Thai had defeated the Indian in their last clash in 2019.
In men’s singles, Srikanth has beaten his first-round opponent Anderson in 2017. The Danish however, is a far more improved player now, currently ranked World No. 3. Against Wang, whom he plays next, Srikanth has a 3-0 record, while he holds a 2-2 head-to-head count against Angus.
The top two players from each group will make it to the semifinals.