Sindhu, Sen to compete for top order at Indonesia Open 2022

Indian shuttlers will be aiming to achieve success at the prestigious tournament.

The city of Jakarta will play host to the Super 1000 tournament Indonesia Open 2022. Top stars of badminton from across the world will participate in the championship to achieve victory. The prestigious tournament, one of the biggest in the calendar year, will commence from 14 June onwards till 19 June 2022. Amongst the lineup will be the shuttlers from India who will look to punch above their weight.

There is a lot of anticipation as the tournament starts on Tuesday. Several high-profile players are part of the multiple categories. The fans cannot wait for these heavy hitters to clash against each other in the latter stages of the Indonesia Open 2022. As for the Indian spectators, a lot of hope will be riding on players like Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and more. Unfortunately, P.V. Sindhu and Sai Praneeth are already out of the tournament after losing their opening-round ties.

Here is a look at what is in store for badminton enthusiasts at the upcoming Indonesia Open 2022:

Key Players

Men’s Singles

One of the major favourites to win the tournament is the number one seed, Viktor Axelsen. He is the defending champion in the Men’s Singles category and will be looking to defend his title. The Dane will face a stern challenge from the likes of second seed Kento Momota of Japan and fourth seed Chou Tien-Chen of Chinese Taipei. 

India’s hopes will be with eighth seed Lakshya Sen. Despite only 20-years-old, the shuttler is amongst the best players in the circuit across the globe. He reached the quarter-final at the recent Indonesia Masters 2022 and will look to finish higher in the Indonesia Open 2022. Sen will play against compatriot H.S. Prannoy in the first round.

Women’s Singles

Akane Yamaguchi of Japan is the top seed and will aim to win the crown this time around. She is already into the second round after winning her first fixture with ease. Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei will look to topple the Japanese while defending champion An Se-young will hope to retain her title. 

Two-time Olympic medal winner P.V. Sindhu is already out of the tournament. She lost her first-round fixture to China’s He Bingjiao in a shocking manner. This leaves the Women’s Singles category bereft of any Indian presence. 

Men’s Doubles

Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will not participate in the tournament. They are one of the high-profile athletes from India that withdrew from the Indonesia Open 2022, alongside Saina Nehwal. However, eyes will be on Manu Attri/Sumeeth Reddy and Arjun Ramachandran/Dhruv Kapila as they look to cause a few upsets. Top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia will aim to maintain their supremacy. They are the reigning champions of the Men’s Doubles category.

Women’s Doubles

In Women’s Doubles, the pairing of N. Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponappa will be challenging to go long at the tournament. They are the most promising of the three Indian pairs in this category. In terms of favourites, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China are the top seeds coming into the Indonesia Open 2022. Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida are the defending champions and the sixth seeds must pull off good performances to stay holders. 

Mixed Doubles

Sole Indian representation in the Mixed Doubles category for India is already out of the tournament. Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto have already lost their first-round match. Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai are the top seeds and also the defending champions. Therefore, they are major favourites. 

Broadcast

Indonesia Open will be streamed live on Voot Select in India.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.