Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj: PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will aim to regain top form as the USD 250,000 Swiss Open begins in Basel on Tuesday . The tournament will feature a strong Indian presence across all categories.
Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and the 2022 Swiss Open champion, is seeded seventh and will face fellow Indian Malvika Bansod in the first round. Sindhu suffered a first-round exit at the All England Championship last week after returning from a hamstring injury, while Malvika registered a confidence-boosting win over Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min.
In men's singles, Lakshya Sen will face HS Prannoy in the opening round. Prannoy, who won the 2016 Swiss Open, has struggled with form since his comeback from chikungunya, suffering early exits. Lakshya, on the other hand, reached the quarterfinals at the All England Championship and recently defeated Jonatan Christie.
The Swiss Open has been a successful tournament for India, with past champions including Sindhu, Prannoy, K Srikanth, Sameer Verma, Saina Nehwal, and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. This will be Lakshya and Prannoy’s first meeting since the Paris Olympics, where Lakshya finished fourth.
Other Indians in the tournament include Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya in women’s singles. Kashyap will face a qualifier, while Upadhyaya takes on Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt. Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj will meet Line Christophersen in her opener.
In men's singles, Kiran George, who reached the quarterfinals at the India Open Super 750, will face Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, while Priyanshu Rajawat takes on Switzerland’s Tobias Kuenzi.
After their quarterfinal run at the All England Championship, women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand (seeded fourth) will open against Aline Muller and Kelly Van Buiten. Other Indian women’s pairs in the draw include Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra and Arathi Sara Sunil/Varshini Viswanath Sri.
In mixed doubles, Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath will compete against Koceila Mammeri and Tanina Violette Mammeri.
After their quarterfinal run at the All England Championship, women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand (seeded fourth) will open against Aline Muller and Kelly Van Buiten. Other Indian women’s pairs in the draw include Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra and Arathi Sara Sunil/Varshini Viswanath Sri.
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Article Source: IANS